The latest OGC Code Sprint will focus on a set of OGC APIs that each provide a web interface for a partitioning of space: OGC API - DGGS, - Tiles, - Coverages, and - EDR.

8 April 2022: The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) invites software developers to the May 2022 Space Partitions Code Sprint, to be held from May 10-12, 2022, with a pre-event webinar on May 4. Registration closes May 9. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

The Sprint will focus on all parts of OGC API - Discrete Global Systems (DGGS), OGC API - Tiles, OGC API - Coverages, and OGC API - Environmental Data Retrieval (EDR). Each of these candidate and approved Standards provide a web interface to access some kind of partitioning of space. For OGC API - DGGS it’s a hierarchical tessellation of cells; for OGC API - Tiles it’s a pyramid of tiles; for OGC API - Coverages it’s an homogeneous space/time collection; and for OGC API - EDR it’s a sample-able collection of environmental resources.

OGC has been developing a new generation of Standards for building web API solutions that make location-referenced information more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). These draft specifications come from OGC’s effort to create modular, resource-oriented API standards that use OpenAPI for describing interfaces that offer location-referenced information over the web. 

To ensure that all OGC API Standards are as developer-friendly, usable, and mature as possible before release, each draft specification is being put through one or more code sprints to test and improve their ‘readiness’ before starting the OGC Standards approval process. 

The code sprint will offer an opportunity for discussion with other participants on technical issues, requirements for Application Programming Interface (API) solutions, and findings from the prototyping of OGC API Standards, as well as daily briefings from participants. However, the majority of the time will be spent in active, collaborative coding and related activities such as testing, reporting issues, and working on documentation. Technical Writers are also encouraged to participate in the Code Sprint, to help the working groups with their documentation activities.

In order to encourage the participation of developers new to OGC APIs – and thus benefit from their ‘fresh eyes’ – the Sprint will include a mentor stream that will provide 1:1 mentoring and tutorials on OGC APIs. 

A one-hour pre-event webinar will take place on May 4 at 9:00am EDT, which will outline the scope of work for the code sprint and provide an overview of the candidate and approved standards that will be its focus.

Registration for the May 2022 Space Partitions Code Sprint and its associated Pre-event Webinar is available here. Registration closes May 9, 2022, at 2:00am EDT. 

Call for Sponsors: OGC also invites organizations to sponsor the Code Sprint. A range of packages are available offering different opportunities for organizations to support the geospatial development community while promoting their products or services. If interested in sponsoring the code sprint, please contact the OGC Standards Program using the form at ogc.org/contact.

More information about the May 2022 OGC Space Partitions Code Sprint is available on the sprint’s website and wiki. The event begins at 7:00am EDT / 11:00am UTC on May 10, and ends at 5:30pm EDT/ 9:30pm UTC on May 12. To learn more about future and previous OGC code sprints, visit the OGC Code Sprints webpage.

To learn more about how the family of OGC API Standards work together to provide modular “building blocks for location” that address both simple and the most complex use-cases, visit ogcapi.org or join the OGC-Events Discord Server or follow along on Twitter at #OGCAPI. 

About OGC

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is a collective problem-solving community of experts from more than 500 businesses, government agencies, research organizations, and universities driven to make geospatial (location) information and services FAIR - Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.

The global OGC Community engages in a mix of activities related to location-based technologies: developing consensus-based open standards and best-practice; collaborating on agile innovation initiatives; engaging in community meetings, events, and workshops; and more.

OGC's unique standards development process moves at the pace of innovation, with constant input from technology forecasting, practical prototyping, real-world testing, and community engagement.

OGC bridges disparate sectors, domains, and technology trends, and encourages the cross-pollination of ideas between different communities of practice to improve decision-making at all levels. OGC is committed to creating an inclusive and sustainable future.

Visit ogc.org for more info on our work.