WMS stands for Web Map Service. It is a standard protocol developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) for serving geospatial map images over the internet. WMS allows users to access and retrieve map images or layers from remote servers and display them in a client application, such as a web browser or a GIS software.
The key components of a WMS are as follows:
Server: The WMS server is responsible for storing and serving geospatial map images. It receives requests for specific map layers or areas of interest and generates map images based on the requested parameters.
Client: The client is the application or software that requests and displays the map images retrieved from the WMS server. This can be a web browser, a GIS software, or a specialized mapping application.
Map Layers: A WMS server typically hosts multiple map layers, each representing a different thematic or spatial dataset. Map layers can include features such as roads, rivers, boundaries, land cover, or any other geospatial information.
GetMap Operation: The GetMap operation is a request made by the client to the WMS server for a specific map image. The client specifies parameters such as the desired layers, coordinate system, extent, and image format. The WMS server processes the request and generates the map image, which is then returned to the client.
Map Image Format: WMS supports various image formats for transmitting map images, including PNG, JPEG, GIF, and more. The client application specifies the desired image format in the request to the WMS server.
WMS is widely used in web mapping applications to display dynamic and interactive map layers over the internet. It allows users to access and combine map layers from multiple servers, enabling them to visualize geospatial data from different sources in a unified interface. WMS also supports operations such as zooming, panning, and querying, providing users with interactive capabilities to explore and analyze geospatial information.