The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), Web Feature Service (WFS) specification is an international specification for serving geographic features over the web. If you published a map image layer with WFS enabled, an additional WFS service is created in your organization.
A WFS service's properties are reflected in its capabilities files. When publishing a WFS service with system-generated capabilities files (the default), it is recommended that you populate WFS properties. You can also set the properties using an external capabilities file. You can manage WFS properties when configuring a web layer in ArcGIS Pro, in ArcGIS Server Manager, or from the portal.
Enter WFS properties
To populate or modify the properties of a WFS service from the portal, follow these steps:
- Sign in to the organization as the item owner with publishing privileges or an administrator.
- Open the item page for the item.
- Click the Settings tab.
- Scroll to the WFS section and expand the Configuration heading.
- Under Properties, choose Enter Service Properties.
- Populate or modify the following properties:
Property Description Name
The name of the map service that was used to create the WFS service. This property is automatically populated by ArcGIS Server and can be modified.
Title
A readable title to briefly identify the WFS service, for example:
Eagle nesting locations in Marion County
Abstract
A narrative description that provides additional information about the WFS service, for example:
WFS service maintained by Acme Corporation. Contact: webmaster@wmt.acme.com. High-quality map showing eagle nests and possible nesting locations.
Keywords
A list of keywords or keyword phrases describing the WFS service that aid in catalog searching, for example:
map, bird, eagle, nest, site
Service Type
The OGC service type, for example:
WFS
Service Type Version
The version of the OGC service type, for example:
1.1.0
Fees
Text describing the fees imposed when accessing the WFS service, for example:
none
Access Constraints
Text describing the restrictions and legal prerequisites for accessing and using the WFS service, for example:
For internal use only. Do not distribute.
Provider Name
The name of the WFS provider, for example:
NASA
Provider Site
A link to a site with information about the WFS provider, for example:
https://www.noaa.gov
Individual Name
The primary contact person for the WFS service, for example:
John Smith
Position Name
The position of the contact person for the WFS service, for example:
IT Analyst
Delivery Point
The address of the WFS provider, for example:
380 New York Street
Administrative Area
The administrative area in which the WFS provider resides, for example:
California
City
The city in which the WFS provider resides, for example:
Redlands
Postal Code
The postal code in which the WFS provider resides, for example:
92373
Country
The country in which the WFS provider resides, for example:
USA
Phone
The telephone number where the primary contact person for the WFS service can be reached, for example:
+1 909 793-2853
Fax
The fax number where the primary contact person for the WFS service can be reached, for example:
+1 123 456-7890
Email
The email address where the primary contact person for the WFS service can be reached, for example:
user@host.com
Online Resource
The OnlineResource property lists the URL of the WFS service. It is necessary for a WFS client to communicate correctly with your WFS service. This property is automatically populated by ArcGIS Server and should not be modified.
Service Hours
The hours in which the primary contact is available to service requests, for example:
24/7
Contact Instructions
Special instructions that should be considered before contacting the WFS service primary contact, for example:
Send email to John for normal requests, call John for emergency requests.
Role
Function performed by the party responsible for the WFS service, for example:
PointOfContact
Namespace
The WFS namespace property is used to discriminate XML vocabularies from one another. This property is automatically populated by ArcGIS Server but can be modified.
Prefix
The WFS namespace prefix is a unique property that is used in the response of a WFS GetFeatureRequest. This property is automatically populated by ArcGIS Server and can be modified.
There are some reserved keywords that cannot be used as a prefix as they conflict with other namespaces that are defined in the WFS service. The reserved keywords that should not be used as a prefix include: wfs, ogc, fes, gml, ows, xs, xsi, gml32, xlink, xsi, or schemaLocation.
Path / URL to Stored Query File (WFS 2.0)
A stored query file is an XML file that maintains a list of publisher-authored stored queries relevant to a particular service. Place the stored query file in a folder accessible to the web. Then, specify the location of the file in ArcGIS Server Manager or ArcGIS Pro. For full instructions, see Configuring a WFS service to use stored queries.
Enable Transactions
The Enable Transactions check box is used to allow edits to be applied through WFS-T. See Web editing with WFS services for more information.
Enable Maximum Number Of Features
This property allows you to limit how many features can be returned by the server to a WFS client for any given query operation. When this option is unchecked, all features are returned.
Swap Axis Order For WFS
Features returned in some geographic coordinate systems (for example, WGS 84) have an axis order of latitude, longitude (y,x) by default. This is in compliance with the WFS 1.0.0, 1.1.0, and 2.0.0 specifications.
Some WFS clients expect the coordinates to be returned with an axis order of x,y. To work with these clients, you can swap the axis order for the WFS service by choosing the Swap option in the drop-down menu. By default, the axis order will not be swapped.
Note:
The following characters cannot be included in any of the service properties: &, <, >, '. To learn more, see Special characters in service properties.
- Click Save.
The edits are applied immediately.
Configure a WFS service to use external capabilities files
To configure your WFS service to use external capabilities files, you'll need to update the service to reference the URL of your capabilities files. To do so from the portal, follow these steps:
- Sign in to the organization as the item owner with publishing privileges or an administrator.
- Open the item page for the item.
- Click the Settings tab.
- Scroll to the WFS section and expand the Configuration heading.
- Under Properties, choose Use External Capabilities Files.
- In the Specify Location box, specify the URL of the folder where you placed your capabilities files plus the common prefix you used for the files.
- Click Save.
The update is applied immediately.