The University of Idaho Library provides a variety of data acquisition and visualisation services. We maintain the state-wide clearinghouse (INSIDE Idaho, link below), a repository of approximately 25,000 items. Last year we delivered over 50,000 datasets (> 2Tb) to users over the internet. The clearinghouse has dramatically improved access to regional data for use in teaching and research.

Data Sharing
INSIDE Idaho has also been instrumental in promoting data sharing within the state of Idaho. This has resulted in increased access to Landsat and SPOT satellite imagery and aerial photography. At the University of Idaho, both the College of Natural Resources and the Geography department incorporate spatial technology such as GIS, GPS and remote sensing as tools throughout undergraduate and graduate programmes. Thirty-seven courses are offered, with a total enrolment of 1,385 students using INSIDE Idaho data and technology.

Web Map Service
Since its inception INSIDE Idaho has sought open standards for sharing data. It is important for us to promote and implement open standards to facilitate interoperability among our peers and to provide an open platform for users to rapidly assimilate new knowledge. The OGC suite of specifications offers us unique opportunities to provide users with Web Services built using open standards. Using ESRI ArcIMS as the platform, we hosted a Web Map Service containing Framework layers for the Idaho-Washington Pilot Project for The National Map in 2002.

State-wide Data
Since then we have developed Web Map Services for state-wide collections of im-agery such as USGS Digital Orothophoto Quadrangles, USGS Digital Raster Graph-ics, and USDA Digital Orthoimagery. We have also developed Web Map Services for the state-wide collection of elevation data at 10-metre resolution, with pockets of higher-resolution Lidar data. We are evaluating the use of Web Feature Services for the deployment of a service for state-wide boundary data and other vector layers.

Imperative
University of Idaho Library’s use of OGC specifications has enhanced our Web Services offerings to users. We believe Web Services utilising OGC standards will play an increasingly important role in delivering up-to-date geographic information to users in the future. For us, implementing OGC specifications is not only exciting - it’s imperative.

The author wishes to acknowledge the contribution of Bruce Godfrey, GIS Specialist at the University of Idaho Library.