Improve your data-usage efficiency with Web Services!

Web Services are the core of the metadata discovery, data delivery, and mapping capabilities of INSIDE Idaho and other data providers across the state. These services are based upon Open Standards defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).

Advantages of Web Services:

  • Allow for the efficient processing of geospatial data into deliverable data and maps.
  • Provide direct access to Idaho data and map products without having to download individual data files.
  • Broadly supported by a large number of products, including desktop GIS systems.

Metadata Web Services that INSIDE Supports:

Data Web Services that INSIDE Supports:

Give it a try!

  • The most widely used OGC service is WMS, which delivers georeferenced map images through HTTP calls.
  • For help on using WMS services in ArcMap, see Adding a WMS service layer to ArcMap in the ArcGIS Desktop Help.
  • ArcGIS Desktop users can connect to INSIDE Idaho ArcGIS Server services at: http://cloud.insideidaho.org/arcgis/services
       • In ArcGIS, click the Add Data button, double-click "Add ArcGIS Server", and when prompted enter the above URL.
  • Also, you can visit our ArcGIS Service Directory at: http://cloud.insideidaho.org/ArcGIS/rest/services

If you need assistance, please contact Bruce Godfrey (bgodfrey@uidaho.edu).


Metadata Web Services

Web Accessible Folder (WAF)

This Web Accessible Folder (WAF) is an HTTP accessible directory of metadata files in XML format in which all files are visible to a web browser or client. Crawlers are able to parse the file listings and provide a search interface on these documents.

• Visit INSIDE's Web Accessible Folder (WAF) for metadata.
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OGC Catalogue Service Web (CSW)

The OGC Catalog Service defines common interfaces to discover, browse, and query metadata about data, services, and other potential resources.
• CSW Specification
• View INSIDE's OGC CSW GetCapabilities request.
• See an html example.
• See a Python example.
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Data Web Services

ArcGIS Server (SOAP/REST)

The ArcGIS Server REST API provides a simple, powerful, and open Web interface to GIS Services hosted by ArcGIS Server. It's easy to program against GIS Services using the REST interface. All resources and operations exposed by the REST API are accessible through a URL for each GIS service published with ArcGIS Server.

• View INSIDE's ArcGIS Service Directory

The ArcGIS Server SOAP API is an XML-structured language for communicating with ArcGIS Server Web services using the SOAP standard.
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OGC Web Map Service (WMS)

WMS is a standard protocol for serving georeferenced map images across the Web using data from a GIS database.
• WMS Specification
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OGC Web Feature Service (WFS)

WFS provides an interface allowing requests for geographical features across the Web using platform-independent calls.
• WFS Specification
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OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS)

WCS provides an interface allowing requests for geographical coverages across the Web using platform-independent calls.
• WCS Specification
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OGC Keyhole Markup Language (KML)

KML is a file format used to display geographic data in an Earth browser, such as Google Earth and Google Maps. You can create KML files to pinpoint locations, add image overlays, and deliver rich geographic information via georeferenced HTML.
• Learn more about KML
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Web Accessible Folder (WAF)

This Web Accessible Folder (WAF) is an HTTP accessible directory of data files in various formats in which all files are visible to a web browser or client.

• Visit INSIDE's Web Accessible Folder (WAF) for data.

Wget — An Alternative Bulk Data Download Option

  • GNU Wget is a free software package that can be used to retrieve files from web servers. Windows users may download Wget example.

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Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV)

WebDAV is a set of extensions to the HTTP protocol that allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote Web servers. This protocol allows you to download data in bulk from INSIDE. With WebDAV you can drag-and-drop (or commandline copy) files from the INSIDE Idaho server to your computer. Learn more about WebDAV.

Connect to WebDAV server

Windows 7 Users:
To map a drive in Windows Explorer to the INSIDE Idaho WebDAV data folder:
  • Right click on the Computer icon and select Map Network Drive.
  • Select a drive letter.
  • Enter the folder, http://cloud.insideidaho.org/data. Connect as the user "IIDataReader" using the password "readonly".
  • Select "Remember me" or "Reconnect at logon", if desired.
  • Click the Finish or Ok button.
  • Having trouble downloading large files? Click Here

Windows XP Users:
  • Double click the My Network Places icon on the desktop.
  • Click Add a network place. The Add Network Place Wizard starts. Click Next to continue.
  • Click Choose another network location, and then click Next .
  • Enter the address, http://cloud.insideidaho.org/data, and click Next.
  • Enter the user name: "IIDataReader" and the password "readonly".
  • Click Next and give the network place a name and click Next again and then Finish.
  • Having trouble downloading large files? Click Here

Mac OS X Users:
  • In the Finder, choose Go > Connect to Server.
  • Type http://cloud.insideidaho.org/data in the Server Address field, and click Connect.
  • Enter the domain http://cloud.insideidaho.org/data, user name "IIDataReader", and password "readonly".
  • Click OK.

Linux Users:
  • davfs2 – open-source file system for mounting WebDAV servers

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Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP)

OPeNDAP is a framework that simplifies all aspects of scientific data networking. OPeNDAP provides software which makes local data accessible to remote locations regardless of local storage format. OPeNDAP also provides tools for transforming existing applications into OPeNDAP clients (i.e., enabling them to remotely access OPeNDAP served data). Learn more about OPeNDAP.

• Link to INSIDE's OPeNDAP server: http://cloud.insideidaho.org:8001/
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