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Proactive disclosure Print version | Success Stories Geographical Names Fundamental to Canada's Geospatial Datasets This information represents activities in the Earth Sciences Sector Programs (2002-2006). Please refer to Priorities for information on current Earth Sciences Sector Programs.
The Canadian Geographical Names Service (CGNS), launched on June 25, 2003 uses the latest web technology to distribute Canada's geographical names data via the Internet. Geographical names are considered an intuitive spatial reference and a fundamental layer of this country's framework data. This national framework makes it possible to provide the geographical data sets of Canada based upon a common reference system and will enable the development of related applications and value-added services available on-line. By incorporating Cubeserv™ Web Map Server (WMS) and Web Feature Server (WFS) technology, construction of a distributed database is enabled, implementing a single point of access to a national view of Canadian toponymy. The WFS delivers geographical names as data records and the WMS delivers an image of geo-referenced labels (geographical names) that can be overlaid with other map layers to build a web map. Provincial and territorial partners have been encouraged to take total responsibility for their own direct input to the CGNS to support the GeoBase concept of collection and maintenance of data at source.
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