Public comment sought on new work items for OGC API - Processes Standards Working Group

New work items for the SWG include extensions to OGC API - Processes that will simplify the deployment and execution of “geospatial processing apps” and chained workflows.

15 February 2021: The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) seeks public comment on a revision to the OGC API - Processes Standards Working Group (SWG) Charter, which introduces new work items for the SWG. Comments are due by March 8, 2021.

The OGC API - Processes SWG is the group within the OGC membership responsible for the development and maintenance of the OGC API - Processes core standard and its extensions, as well as for maintaining the WPS standard.

OGC API - Processes provides organizations the opportunity to make available on the web geospatial software libraries and utilities that, up until now, had only been available as standalone desktop products. It forms a crucial part of OGC’s “user-to-the-data” architecture that allows users to not only mine intelligence from their cloud-based data through streamlined analysis, but also to create value-added products for others to use.

OGC API - Processes, like its predecessor (WPS), achieves this by providing a standardized mechanism for computational geospatial processes to be deployed and offered as services within Cloud Computing environments. 

With the initial development of the OGC API - Processes standard now complete, the OGC API - Processes SWG will begin to address extensions that will simplify the deployment and execution of geospatial processing packages and chained processing workflows.

Specifically, the SWG will begin work on the following extensions to Part 1 Core (final names TBA):

Part 2: Transactions for deployment

This extension will enable the dynamic deployment and execution of processes as application packages. An application package is a file that provides a description of a process(es) to be deployed, including the inputs and outputs of the process(es) as well as other ancillary metadata (e.g. reference to a containerized execution unit) necessary for the process to be deployed. An application package can take many forms (e.g. Jupyter notebook, workflow execution document, etc.) and so this extension will not mandate any specific form but will instead include one or more optional conformance classes for application package formats that have been developed via OGC Innovation Program Initiatives (e.g. CWL, MOAW, OGC Application Package, etc.). 

Part 3: Workflows and Chaining

This extension will provide the ability to:

• chain nested processes,
• refer to external processes and collections accessible via OGC API standards, and
• trigger execution of processes through OGC API data delivery specifications (such as OGC API - Features, Tiles, Maps and Coverages).

The SWG will look at different solutions for workflows and chaining to ensure validation of the defined architecture across multiple approaches.

OGC Members interested in staying up-to-date on the progress of this standard, or contributing to its development, are encouraged to join the SWG via this link on the OGC Portal.

The draft OGC API - Processes Standards Working Group Charter is available for review and comment on the OGC Portal. Comments are due by March 8, 2021, and should be submitted via the method outlined on the OGC API - Processes SWG Charter public comment request page.

About OGC

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is an international consortium of more than 500 businesses, government agencies, research organizations, and universities driven to make geospatial (location) information and services FAIR - Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.

OGC’s member-driven consensus process creates royalty free, publicly available geospatial standards. Existing at the cutting edge, OGC actively analyzes and anticipates emerging tech trends, and runs an agile, collaborative Research and Development (R&D) lab that builds and tests innovative prototype solutions to members' use cases.

OGC members together form a global forum of experts and communities that use location to connect people with technology and improve decision-making at all levels. OGC is committed to creating a sustainable future for us, our children, and future generations.

Visit ogc.org for more info on our work.