Definition

Noun: A Web Map Service (WMS) is a standard protocol for serving georeferenced map images over the internet. It is a computer program or service that generates maps dynamically from geographic information systems (GIS) data. These maps are typically delivered as image files (e.g., PNG, JPEG, GIF) that a client application, like a web browser or GIS software, can display.

Usage

A Web Map Service provides a standardized way for clients to request custom maps. The client specifies parameters such as the geographic area of interest, the desired layers of data, the image size, and the coordinate system. The service then creates a new map image based on this request.

Examples

• "The city's planning department uses a Web Map Service to share zoning maps with the public."
• "To add the satellite imagery layer, you need to connect to the correct Web Map Service endpoint."
• "A key advantage of a Web Map Service is that the client does not need the underlying geographic data, only the ability to request and display images."

Advanced Usage

• WMS Operations: The core operations defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standard are (to retrieve service metadata), (to retrieve a map image), and (to query information about features shown on the map).
• "to serve maps via WMS": This phrase describes the action of making map data available using this protocol.
  • Example: "The agency's server is configured to serve maps via WMS to various mapping applications."

Variants and Related Words

• WMS: The common acronym for Web Map Service.
• Web Feature Service (WFS): A related OGC standard for serving the actual geographic features (vector data) themselves, rather than just images of them.
• Web Coverage Service (WCS): A related OGC standard for serving raster data (grid coverages) representing space-varying phenomena.
• Tile Map Service (TMS)/WMTS: Protocols for serving pre-rendered, cached map tiles for faster display, as opposed to dynamically generated images.

Synonyms

• Map service
• OGC WMS (specifies the standards body)

Related Terms and Concepts

• Spatially referenced data: Data that has a location attached to it, often using coordinates.
• Geographic Information System (GIS): A framework for gathering, managing, and analyzing spatial and geographic data.
• Dynamic map generation: The process of creating a map image on-the-fly in response to a user's query, as opposed to serving a static image file.

Noun

1. a computer program that produces maps of spatially referenced data dynamically from geographic information