Web Ontology Service, a Key Component of a Spatial Data Infrastructure

In the context of a Spatial Data Infrastructure ontologies are used to denote a formally represented knowledge that is mainly used to improve data sharing and information retrieval. This work describes a web service called Web Ontology Service, based on the OGC Web Service Architecture specification, whose purpose is to facilitate the management and use of ontologies in a Spatial Data Infrastructure. Focusing on the objective of enhancing the classification of resources and the ulterior information retrieval, this work analyzes the potential benefits that this proposed service may provide to the main components that form part of a Spatial Data Infrastructure.