GeoRSS is an emerging standard for encoding location as part of an RSS feed. (RSS is an XML format used to describe feeds ("channels") of content, such as news articles, MP3 play lists, and blog entries. These RSS feeds are rendered by programs such as aggregators and web browsers.)

In GeoRSS, location content consists of geographical points, lines, and polygons of interest and related feature descriptions. GeoRSS feeds are designed to be consumed by geographic software such as map generators. By building these encodings on a common information model, the GeoRSS collaboration hopes to promote interoperability and "upwards-compatibility" across encodings.

At this point, the GeoRSS collaboration has completed work on two primary encodings which they call GeoRSS GML and GeoRSS Simple. GeoRSS GML is a formal OGC GML Application Profile, and supports a greater range of features than Simple, notably coordinate reference systems other than WGS84 latitude/longitude. There is also a W3C geo GeoRSS serialization, which is older and partly depraced but still most widely used.

GeoRSS can be used to extend both RSS 1.0 and 2.0, as well as Atom, the IETF's latest standard for feeds.

Examples

Here's a GeoRSS Simple example using Atom.

Here is a schema fragment for an GeoRSS GML encoding for RSS 2.0

Here is example of W3C geo GeoRSS

Instances of GeoRSS Implementations

Example feeds

GeoNetwork opensource: Simple and GML -feeds.

Nasa Real-time, worldwide earthquake list for the past 7 days (W3C GeoRSS)

Usage and implementation

Google Maps: Google Maps API blog posting on Google support for the Simple, GML, and W3C Geo encodings of GeoRSS

Yahoo Maps, a reference on using GeoRSS in the Yahoo Maps Web Services.

Virtual Earth: Microsoft Virtual Earth support for GeoRSS geo, simple, and GML.

GeoPress WordPress and MovableType plugins for adding GeoRSS to your blog.

Mapufacture GeoRSS Feed Aggregator. Here you can layer multiple GeoRSS feeds from different sources into a single map, and search the database of GeoRSS feeds by keyword and location.

Open source projects

Openlayers Demo using the OpenLayers GeoRSS parser

Worldkit Both GeoRSS Simple and GeoRSS GML are supported.

GeoServer

Products

CadCorp GeoRSS Plug-in for CadCorp SIS.

CubeWerx WFS The new release of the CubeWerx OGC Web Feature Service product supports GeoRSS GML.

Ionic/Leica Geosystems The use of GeoRSS in Ionic redSpider products

IDV Solutions Wonders of the World IDV showcases GeoRSS support in their Visual Fusion product.

GeoFeeder Converts Shape, KML/KMZ, GML, AutoCad and MapInfo files to GeoRSS

Bay of Islands Contains GeoRSS information about local accommodation

Fun Sites Based on GeoRSS

Twitter Updates from World

Flickr Updates from World