Zoe,
Sorry for the confusion but let me try and explain what I think is the misunderstanding here.
Spectrum Spatial (the server) has long supported being a WMS (and WFS, WMTS) server delivering data in response to those OGC standards. We test and receive official OGC compliance for these services. This allows the administrator of the server to deliver the data stored in your environment that they want.
These services can be used by any client application that knows how to talk to these services. These clients include MapInfo Pro as well as many others not developed by us or from custom applications that you build. The important piece is that the data being delivered is the data in your organization.
Spectrum Spatial Analyst (the web application) has also long allowed organizations to pull WMS data from outside services having nothing to do with Spectrum Spatial. These settings have long been in the adminconsole application (as Nick mentioned) but in 2019.1 are now set in the Spatial Manager which has a whole new section for administering properties for Spatial Analyst (projects, functionality profiles, external WMS, geocoding, routing ….).
Again the important piece here is that this is for using Analyst to be a client to data residing externally as long as you have the URL and credentials. The requests for this data do not go through Spectrum Spatial server at all but go directly from wherever Analyst application is installed to the WMS server that you configure.
So very similar terminology but totally different use case. One is for serving up your data. The other is for accessing someone else's.
As to why you would expose WMS data from Spatial into SSA, well Nick has one example but you can choose to expose your data as normal layers and maps in SSA and still expose the same data as WMS to MapInfo Pro, for example.
Note that Pro will support the GetFeatureInfo piece so you can click on a WMS map and see attributes by clicking on the map just like you do in Analyst with the attribute panel. SSA does not support this. This means that currently the best way to share data for Pro and Analyst is to use WMS for Pro and regular layers and maps for SSA.
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Eric Blasenheim
Spectrum Spatial Technical Product Manager
Troy, NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-07-2020 06:49
From: Zoe Robinson
Subject: WMS - Idiots Guide
Hello
We haven't done anything with WMS and SSA. However, I want to start looking at this capability.
I have tried reading documentation and attempting but I don't seem to get very far.
I get stuck when trying to set up a new WMS connection in the Spatial Server Manager because it asks for a table to reference. Does this table need to be a replication of the data that I am receiving from the WMS? Does it just need the correct structure or data too? Can it be blank? Is there anything I need to do in MapInfo first?
Help please? :)
Thank you
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Zoe Bowden
Corporate Information Officer
Flintshire County Council
Mold
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