WMS (Web Map Service) and WFS (Web Feature Service) are international standard protocols defined by the OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) for sharing geographic information over the internet.
- WMS (Maps as Images): The server sends a "photo" of the map. It's useful for viewing cartographic backgrounds, orthophotos, or the Cadastre, but doesn't allow editing or selecting objects individually. It's visual.
- WFS (Maps as Data): The server sends the actual vectors (points, lines, polygons) with their attributes. It allows the client software to "touch" the object, query its data, and even edit it. It's functional.
Why are they useful for those who maintain assets across a territory?
The era of downloading gigantic files and sending them by USB is over. Modern technical management demands interoperability. Thanks to these protocols, an engineering firm or a private operator can connect its management software with official map servers in real time:
- View the latest Cadastre update without downloading anything.
- Overlay the layout of an irrigation network on the electrical lines of an industrial park.
- Consult the PNOA (National Aerial Orthophotography Plan) always up to date.
Maptainer and WMS services
Many maintenance software products claim to have maps, but only use a commercial map as a background. Maptainer is built on its own GIS and lets you add third-party WMS services (cadastre, zoning, official cartography) as another layer of your working map, with automatic layer discovery via GetCapabilities. The external layers it supports are WMS; the vector inventory is brought in by importing GeoPackage, Shapefile, GeoJSON, DXF, or CSV.
Practical Example: a technician can turn on the Cadastre WMS layer within Maptainer to check which plot a section of a private irrigation network or the fence of a solar plant falls on before scheduling the work, without leaving the application.