next generation of Sky in Google Earth

[Kirk Borne]

Roy:   I work very closely with several people within OGC.

- Kirk

Roy Williams wrote, On 01/22/2008 10:43 AM:
>
>> Google has given us a new IVOA standard, it's KML, and we'd better 
>> get used to the idea.  Possibly the IVOA should accept the status quo 
>> and officially adopt it. It might give us a (very) little bit more 
>> leverage.
> This I find a strange set of statements. Google has not "given us" 
> anything. Rather I would say they have made a somewhat ropy standard 
> without external consultation, a standard that does not carry rich 
> metadata and has very poor image support. Obviously we astronomers are 
> forced into using this hand-me-down from the geo people, because 
> Google has billions of dollars and billions of customers.
>
> As for official adoption, my understanding is that Google has handed 
> over the KML process to the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), who will 
> be creating future versions -- this time with input from the rest of 
> the world. I am not sure that IVOA should be making Recommendations on 
> KML: what happens if these are different from the OGC version?
>
> Surely what we need is not just a blanket Recommendation of KML as it 
> exists now, but rather VO representation at the OGC meetings? Does 
> anyone know anyone at OGC?
>
> Roy
>