.. _services-what:

What are ZOO-Services ?
=================

ZOO-Services are WPS compliant Web Services working with :ref:`ZOO-Kernel <kernel_index>`, the `ZOO-Project <http://zoo-project.org>`_ WPS server.

What is a ZOO-Service?
----------------------

A ZOO Service is a couple composed of:

- Source code you want to create or reuse as WPS Service
- A :ref:`configuration file<services-zcfg>` (.zcfg) which describes this WPS Service

Learn how to  :ref:`create your own <services-create>` and how to
configure ZOO-Services according to the :ref:`ZCFG Reference <services-zcfg>`.

Available ZOO-Services
--------------------

`ZOO-Project <http://zoo-project.org>`_ includes ready-to-use WPS Services based on reliable open source libraries such as `GDAL <http://gdal.org>`_, `GRASS GIS <http://grass.osgeoorg>`_, `OrfeoToolbox <http://orfeo-toolbox.org>`_ and `CGAL <http://gcal.org>`_. The so-called ZOO-Services aim at reusing existing geospatial algorithms through standard WPS, with no or minor modification of the involved software or library source codes. 

Available ZOO-Services provide a number of significant examples to
build your own.


