The TJS standard (previously GLS) facilitates the exchange of statistical data on the web. Géoclip applications, particularly France découverte, began to implement this norm in January 2010.

TJS (Table Joining Service, ex-GLS) defines an internet exchange of geo-referenced statistical data in the form of a normalized web service.  The data exchanged this way do not contain any geometric information, but are geo-locatable through an identifier such as city code, postal code, business number, road section identifier, etc.

TJS lets us better distinguish geometric management (polygons, lines, dots) from attributes (statistical data). It also encourages the organization of statistical data by theme and diminishes information redundancy. It facilitates the dissemination of the best and most varied indicators to date.
TJS has successfully passed several critical steps to become an OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) international standard. It should be officially adopted in 2010.
It resembles the WFS (Web Feature Service) standard in its ability to convey rich information, but it is better adapted to handle statistical indicators. It generates lighter XML files, it is also more precise in its documentation and characterization of data. Can indicators be added or not? Are typologies ordered or not? Gaussian distribution or not? Etc. Following usual semiology rules, it is easy to automatically propose the best cartography representation for data loaded on the fly.

Géoclip is a tool for the cartography development of statistical data on the web. It is known for its flexibility and capacity to give voice to large data sets, with interactive vectorial cartography that can represent millions of entities. A Géoclip Server application has its own database. Thanks to TJS, each one of those bases can be opened up to other applications, with the hope to share and enrich the collective. emc³, Géoclip's publisher, intends to enable this sharing as it consolidates broadcasting servers in various countries such as France, Swizerland, Canada, Spain and the USA. As its founders are statisticians, emc³ also promotes TJS with statistical organizations so that they will launch their own TJS servers. Trail-blazers who are taking advantage of the TJS opportunity today are building the localized exchange channels of tomorrow.

TJS in action

The client application: An application built for hospitals
in New-Jersey (USA).
This application gathers socio-demographic information in an external depository that covers the whole country.

After selecting a server, the themes and indicators that are available for a geographical level appear. Then it is possible to import these indicators by selecting them. The merging between statistical data and base maps is performed here on the county geographical code.

Data can also be exported to a spreadsheet format, with documentation.