The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) held its 94th Technical Committee (TC) meeting in Barcelona, Spain from 9 - 13 March 2015.
In addition to discussion and reports on progress made in numerous OGC Standards Working Groups (see summary), this meeting was marked by three significant organizational activities.
First, the TC and Planning Committee (PC) approved a revised Policies and Procedures document that addresses issues associated with the ever-diversifying scope of OGC Standards. The new "P&P" improves review and approval of new Standards Working Groups and institutes improved electronic voting procedures so that new standards continue to be adequately considered by the membership.
Photo: At the recent OGC Technical Committee meeting, in the Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona's Casa Convalescència lecture hall, David Graham of CAE discusses the Common DataBase proposed Best Practice, which would facilitate the integration of diverse types of geographic information with training and simulation systems.
Second, a collaborative effort to improve ease of implementation of OGC Standards was briefed. The members seek to make OGC Standards more implementer-friendly, with proposals to include more sample code and implementation guidance. This effort will mature over 2015, so keep an eye on our work and jump into the conversation.
Third, the TC worked diligently to identify the correct homes for standards harmonization/coordination activities in the OGC. Such activities include harmonization not only within the OGC Standards baseline, but also coordination with other Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), such as ISO and OASIS as well as regulatory frameworks such as the EU's INSPIRE Directive.
The meeting was sponsored by the Institut Cartogràfic I Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC), Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona and affiliated research units CREAF, GRUMETS, and MiraMon and the European Satellite Center. Their gracious hospitality and excellent facilities are greatly appreciated.