List - OGC Web Service Standards
Overview
Geospatial web services provide standardized interfaces for serving spatial data over the web. This reference covers Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) legacy and modern API standards, plus ArcGIS service types.
OGC Legacy Standards
These XML-based standards form the foundation of interoperable web GIS:
| Standard | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Web Map Service (WMS) | Serve georeferenced map images | OGC Spec |
| Web Feature Service (WFS) | Serve vector features (GML) | OGC Spec |
| Web Coverage Service (WCS) | Serve raster coverages | OGC Spec |
| Web Map Tile Service (WMTS) | Serve pre-rendered map tiles | OGC Spec |
| Web Processing Service (WPS) | Remote geoprocessing | OGC Spec |
| Catalog Service for the Web (CSW) | Metadata discovery | OGC Spec |
OGC API Standards
Modern RESTful APIs replacing legacy standards:
Core Standards
| Standard | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|
| OGC API - Common | Shared building blocks | Docs |
| OGC API - Features | Vector feature access (replaces WFS) | Docs |
| OGC API - Tiles | Vector/raster tile serving | Docs |
| OGC API - Maps | Map image rendering (replaces WMS) | Docs |
| OGC API - Processes | Geoprocessing (replaces WPS) | Docs |
Specialized Standards
| Standard | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|
| OGC API - Records | Metadata catalog (replaces CSW) | Docs |
| OGC API - Environmental Data Retrieval (EDR) | Environmental data access | Docs |
| OGC API - Discrete Global Grid Systems (DGGS) | Grid-based data access | Docs |
| OGC API - Routes | Routing services | Docs |
| OGC API - Moving Features | Trajectory data | Docs |
| OGC API - Connected Systems | IoT/sensor integration | Docs |
ArcGIS REST Services
Esri’s proprietary service types available via ArcGIS Server:
| Service Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Map Service | Rendered map images |
| Feature Service | Editable vector features |
| Image Service | Raster/imagery access |
| Geocode Service | Address geocoding |
| Vector Tile Service | Vector tile serving |
| Geoprocessing Service | Server-side analysis |
See Guide - ArcGIS REST API for implementation details.
Legacy vs Modern Comparison
| Legacy | Modern Replacement | Key Improvement |
|---|---|---|
| WMS | OGC API - Maps | RESTful, JSON responses |
| WFS | OGC API - Features | GeoJSON native, pagination |
| WCS | OGC API - Coverages | Cloud-native, COG support |
| CSW | OGC API - Records | JSON metadata, OpenAPI |
| WPS | OGC API - Processes | Async execution, chaining |