Axis order handling

Axis-ordering issues (XY vs YX) have a long history in the OGC world. Here are some facts and thoughts on how to do it right.

WMS 1.1.1

Specification

Specification mandates XY-ordering (in capabilities and requests)

<BoundingBox CRS="EPSG:4326" minx="-180" miny="-90" maxx="180" maxy="90">
<BoundingBox CRS="CRS:84" minx="-180" miny="-90" maxx="180" maxy="90">

WMS 1.3.0

Specification

Specification mandates official axis ordering (in capabilities and requests)

<BoundingBox CRS="EPSG:4326" minx="-90" miny="-180" maxx="90" maxy="180">
<BoundingBox CRS="CRS:84" minx="-180" miny="-90" maxx="180" maxy="90">

NOTE: Don't get confused by the attribute names. For WMS 1.3.0, minx means: mininum value of the first axis.

WFS

AFAIK, this is not specified.

CRS database