This submission does not define a new format, but improves interoperability between implementations of an existing format. Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) is an ISO standard for vector graphics which has found application particularly in the aerospace, automotive and defence industries and among the computer aided design (CAD) community.
W3C has been working on integrating CGM with the Web since 1996. One result of this was the W3C Note Use of CGM as a Scalable Graphics Format, issued 18 June 1997 which identified the need for a CGM profile - an agreed subset of the full CGM specification, whose use would avoid interoperability problems.
W3C started work, funded by the European Commission, to design such a profile by applying it's Web expertise to this graphics format. Independently, the CGM Open Consortium started work to design such a profile, applying their CGM expertise to the Web. Since some organisations are Members of both W3C and CGM Open, these independent efforts soon became aware of each other and it was clearly desirable to cooperate on a single profile. This was based on the most widely used industry profile, ATA.
This submission represents the results of this combined work. Use of this profile by CGM readers and writers is expected to allow the potential of the Web to be more fully utilised by the CGM-using community.
The W3C membership is invited to discuss the disposition of the submission in the w3c-ac-forum mailing list or to advise the director in confidence via the W3C staff contact.