The application of open standards to enhance the interoperability of geoscience information

We can adequately study broad global issues and policies only by taking geosciences into account.Our research and decision-making must share and make effective use of interdisciplinary data sources,models,and processes.Noninteroperability impedes sharing of data and computing resources.Standards from the Open Geospatial Consortium(OGC)and other organizations are the basis for successfully deploying a seamless,distributed information infrastructure for the geosciences.Several specifications now adopted by the OGC consensus process are the result of OGC interoperability initiatives.The OGC standards,deployment architectures,and interoperability initiatives are described showing how the OGC standards baseline has been developed and applies to the geosciences.

New frontiers on open standards for geo-spatial science

The process of sharing of data has become easier than ever with the advancement of cloud computing and software tools.However,big challenges remain such as efficient handling of big geospatial data,supporting and sharing of crowd sourced/citizen science data,integration with semantic heterogeneity,and inclusion of agile processes for continuous improvement of geospatial technology.This paper discusses the new frontiers regarding these challenges and the related work performed by the Open Geospatial Consortium,the world leading organization focused on developing open geospatial standards that“geo-enable”the Web,wireless,and location-based services and mainstream IT.

OPEN ARCHITECTURE CNC SYSTEM HITCNC AND KEY TECHNOLOGY

Aiming at the characteristics of modularity and reconfigurable in open architecture computer numerical control （CNC） system, the open architecture CNC system, Harbin Institute of Tech- nology computer numerical control （HITCNC）, is researched and manufactured based on the interface standards. The system＇s external interfaces are coincident with the corresponding international standards, and the internal interfaces follow the open modular architecture controller （OMAC） agreement. In the research and manufacturing process, object-oriented technology is used to ensure the openness of the HITCNC, and static programming is applied in the CNC system according to the idea of modularization disassembly. The HITCNC also actualizes real-time and unreal-time modules adopting real-time dynamical linked library （RTDLL） and component object model （COM）. Finite state ma- chine （FSM） is adopted to do dynamically modeling of HITCNC. The complete separation between the software and the hardware is achieved in the HITCNC by applying the SoftSERCANS technique. The application of the above key techniques decreases the programming workload greatly, and uses software programs replacing hardware functions, which offers plenty technique ensures for the openness of HITCNC. Finally, based on the HITCNC, a three-dimensional milling system is established. On the system, series experiments are done to validate the expandability and interchangeability of HITCNC. The results of the experiments show that the established open architecture CNC system HITCNC is correct and feasible, and has good openness.

The Opening Ceremony for the Restructured China Standardization Press

The opening ceremony for the restructured China Standardization Press was grandly held in Beijing on December 1st, Mr. Pu Changcheng, the vice minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine （AQSIQ）, Mr. Ji Zhengkun, the administrator of the Standardization Administration of China （SAC）, Li Zhonghai, the chairman of China Association for Standardization （CAS） and the president of the China National Institute of Standardization （CNIS） attended and addressed at the ceremony.

Grand Opening of the Plenary Meeting on Publicity of the 2005 World Standard Day

Organized by the Standard Administration of China (SAC), the plenary meeting on publicity of the 2005 World Standards Day was held on October 14, 2005 at the Great Hall of People. Surrounding the theme of this year's World Standards Day - "Standards for a Safer World", the meeting made publicized the status of construction and implementation of the food safety and production safety standard system of our country,the result of clearance on national standards and the announcement of formal operation of the system for online free-of-charge access to the full text of national compulsory standards, and the system for online distribution and service of national standards. Attending the meeting were Li Changjiang, Director of AQSIQ, Li Chuanqing,Party Group Secretary of AQSIQ, Li Zhonghai, Director of SAC, high-ranking officers of relevant departments of the State Council, Chen Xiaohong, Vice-minister of Ministry of Health, Wang Xianzheng, Vice-director of the National General Bureau of Supervision and Administration on Production Safety, and representatives and experts from enterprises of various sectors with a total of over 300 people. The meeting was presided over by Zhang Yanhua, Standing Vice-director of SAC.

Laparoscopic bilateral inguinal hernia repair: Should it be the preferred technique?

Inguinal hernias are amongst the most common conditions requiring general surgical intervention.For decades,the preferred approach was the open repair.As laparoscopy became more popular and available and more surgeons became familiarized with this modality,laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair became an alternative.The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of laparoscopic inguinal repair,with a focus on bilateral inguinal hernias.Initial reports have shown promising clinical outcomes compared to those of conventional repair of bilateral hernias.However,there are only a few studies concerning laparoscopic repair of bilateral hernias.It is yet to be proven that laparoscopy is the“gold standard”in the treatment of bilateral inguinal hernias.So far,the choice of an inguinal hernia repair technique has been up to each surgeon,depending on their expertise and available resources after taking into consideration each patient’s needs.