First, What is a Web Service?

A Web Service allows the user's access to information located on remote servers. This access occurs in a standard way and through any compatible application, without having to download any in local.

This technology also allows different remote platforms to exchange network data.

 

Web Services function schema

 

Web Services function schema

To keep a coherent dialog between the WSC (Web Service Client), that forwards the request and receives the response, and the WSS (Web Service Server), wich executes the process and forwards the response, a SOAP (Simple Object Acces Protocol), that is a codification based on XML, is used.

 

XML · Extensible Markup Language

This language is proposed as a standard for the exchange of information structured between different platforms. Its success lies in the fact that it allows the full compatibility between systems to share information in a safe, reliable and easy way. It is a language developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. The grammar of this language has been designed to be able to structure large documents and, unlike other languages, supports databases and is useful when multiple applications are required to integrate or share information.

 

Second, What is a Geoservice?

It is a specific web service that allows to exchange information only of geographical component (we will call it geoinformation). For the generation and use of geoservices, specific languages ​​and standard protocols defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium are used.

 

Advantages of Web Services and Geoservices

A web service can be remotely invoked as one more functionality within a desktop application, with the advantage that it is totally invisible to the end user. Being a remote process the consumption of resources is absorbed by the web services and the application can be developed in any language and platform.