A Look through the Rearview Mirror
Initiated in 1994 to address environmental data interchange needs of U.S. Army STRICOM and DARPA
Since 1996 primarily sponsored by DMSO
Conducted as an open development process
Based on a philosophy of practical solutions built upon solid technologies and incremental prototyping and experimentation
Core technologies heavily influenced and shaped by industry and other community participants
First software release in June 1996 (Release 1.0)
First formally-supported release, January 1999 (Release 2.0)