Calls for the Emergency Mapping Symbology (EMS) Initiative seek interested technology providers to make proposals in response to a defined set of requirements addressing interoperability needs for the use of symbology in emergency mapping.

The Open GIS Consortium Inc. (OGC) has issued a Request for Quotations and a Call For Participation in the Emergency Mapping Symbology (EMS) Initiative. This call seeks interested technology providers to make proposals in response to a defined set of requirements addressing interoperability needs for the use of symbology in emergency mapping. The EMS Initiative will mature OGC's specification framework for interoperable geographic symbolization while simultaneously testing emerging standard map symbol sets for emergency response developed by national-level agencies. The Call document is available at www.opengis.org/initiatives/?iid=87.

Participants will be addressing sponsor requirements including the development of a client for publishing, managing and previewing particular symbolization configurations, testing the assignment of symbols to particular feature types from a feature level data store, testing and enhancement of the Style Layer Descriptor (SLD) Implementation Specification and its use in Web Mapping Service implementations to support the portrayal specified symbol sets, and testing and enhancing the Style Management Services Specification (SMS).