A General Communication Infrastructure for Sharing Environmental Data and Services

Abstract

This contribution has emerged from more than ten years of struggle with the integration of environmental data, starting with VISION-Umwelt in the early 90s (closely connected with the early UDK, respect to Helmut Lessing, Thomas Schütz, and Veronika Bachmann), going national with gein® in 1998 (Maria Rüther, Hartmut Streuff, Peter Treffler), expanding to geographic data infrastructure (GDI) in 2000 (IMAGI's GeoMIS.Bund, thanks to Jens Fitzke, Jürgen Walter and Jörg Sievers), visiting Sony Europe with an early SOAP interface (Dieter Lippkow, if he may read this) and reaching a preliminary plateau with Semantic Network Services (SNS, Maria again). From here, the view really is enchanting, if not breathtaking, when we consider what might be possible within the next few years. However, the mountain's crest is still a way to go, and a good climber has learned to develop some humbleness towards the final incomputability of the rocks. Some aspects of the imminent trail have been counseled in a feasibility study, drafting an Environmental Observation Integration Layer (with Gerlinde Knetsch, an exceptional "alpinist") in early 2004, and there might be a perceivable movement considering the ineluctable reunion of gein® and the UDK, which hopefully will not result in some kind of Romeo-and-Juliette colportage. To make the vision come true, we need a radical blueprint of a general communication infrastructure, sharing environmental data and services in true collaboration. Today, this rather is a question of culture, not of technology. My talk is intentionally provoking, addressing serious professionals who appreciate a true challenge. I am a free consultant now and have to make my living, but the ground is ambition, not bargaining.