Web Feature Service
An OGC standard protocol for serving vector geographic features over the internet, allowing clients to query and download spatial data.
Detailed Definition
A Web Feature Service (WFS) is a standard protocol defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) for serving geographic vector features over the internet. Unlike WMS (which serves map images), WFS serves the actual feature data (geometry and attributes), enabling clients to query, download, and analyze the data.
- GetCapabilities: Returns metadata about available feature types and supported operations
- DescribeFeatureType: Returns the schema (fields and data types) for a feature type
- GetFeature: Returns actual feature data (geometry and attributes) matching query parameters
- Transaction (WFS-T): Allows clients to insert, update, and delete features (if enabled)
Advantages over WMS: - Returns actual data, not just images - Clients can query, filter, and analyze features - Data can be downloaded for offline use - Supports spatial and attribute queries - Enables data editing (WFS-T)
Common output formats: - GML (Geography Markup Language) - default OGC format - GeoJSON - lightweight, web-friendly format - Shapefile - for GIS desktop applications - CSV - for tabular data extraction
Applications in mining and land management: - Downloading mining claim boundaries from BLM services - Querying land status features by attribute (e.g., all active claims in a township) - Integrating government spatial data into GIS projects - Building web applications that query feature data on demand - Accessing PLSS boundary data from authoritative sources
Distinction from WMS: - WMS returns rendered map images (for visualization only) - WFS returns feature data (for analysis and download) - Many servers offer both WMS and WFS for the same data
Related Terms
GIS
Geographic Information System - software and technology for capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced data.
Spatial Data
Data that describes the location, shape, and relationship of geographic features, including vector and raster formats.
GeoJSON
An open standard format for encoding geographic data structures using JSON, widely supported by web mapping applications.
Web Map Service
An OGC standard protocol for serving georeferenced map images over the internet, allowing GIS applications to display layers from remote servers.