Standards: The Foundation for Interoperability
OGC Standards make geospatial data easier to describe, share, and use—powering smarter solutions through modern APIs.
The Foundation for a Seamless Geospatial Future.
The Importance of Standards
We live in a world of constant change. As change in the geospatial ecosystem accelerates, standards become ever more important. They are key to keeping pace, offering a shared language to ensure interoperability so that disparate platforms and solutions can use geospatial data seamlessly. OGC Standards already underpin thousands of implementations. They evolve from communities of practice trying to solve challenges like turning massive amounts of image data into photo-realistic 3-D scenes of cities or helping national mapping agencies respond to billions of requests for geospatial data every day.
- They save money
- They propel success
- They increase transparency
Standards built by experts, driven by need.
How our Standards Program Works
OGC Standards are built through a collaborative and structured process. It begins with working groups connecting via Agora (Member Community) to explore interoperability needs. Domain Working Groups and Testbeds define specific requirements, while Standards Working Groups shape these into formal standards for adoption, following Technical Committee guidelines.
Powering Geospatial Interoperability.
OGC Standards
OGC Standards are open, royalty-free specifications that enable seamless sharing and integration of geospatial data across systems, platforms, and domains. Developed through a global, consensus-based process, they support real-world applications in climate, disaster response, smart cities, and more.
Key Standard Families
- OGC APIs – Modern, RESTful interfaces for geospatial data access and processing
- Web Services (WMS, WFS, etc.) – Proven web services for maps, features, and coverages
- Data Models and Encodings – Standards for encoding geospatial data for a variety of applications
- Domain-Specific – Tools for 3D, hydrology, catalogs, and more
Open Calls and Requests
Members of the public can review candidate standards and share feedback to ensure they are practical and widely applicable.
Where experts collaborate to shape the future of geospatial innovation.
OGC Working Groups
OGC Working Groups bring together experts from across industries and domains to collaboratively develop, refine, and promote open geospatial standards. They provide a platform for members to exchange knowledge, address interoperability challenges, and shape the future of geospatial technology.
Standards Working Group
Standards Working Groups (SWGs) are formal groups within the OGC that are responsible for creating, reviewing, and maintaining open geospatial standards. Each SWG is chartered with a specific scope and mandate, ensuring that new or revised standards are developed through a transparent, consensus-driven process.
These groups bring together domain experts, technology providers, and users to address interoperability challenges, validate requirements, and ensure that OGC standards remain relevant, practical, and widely implementable across industries and communities.
Domain Working Group
OGC’s Domain Working Groups (DWGs) bring together experts from diverse sectors to advance geospatial standards across key areas. Covering fields such as Aviation, Built Environment & 3D, Business Intelligence, Defense & Intelligence, Emergency Management, Energy & Utilities, Environmental Sciences, Government Data Infrastructure, Mobile Location Services, Sensor Networks, and Academic Research. These groups encourage open, collaborative engagement.
Public DWGs are featured here, fostering innovation through shared expertise and cross-sector cooperation.
Your expertise, our standards—advancing geospatial solutions.
Contribute to Standards
Join the OGC in developing and refining global geospatial standards. By contributing your expertise, you help create open, interoperable solutions that advance innovation, data sharing, and collaboration across industries and communities worldwide.
Request For Comment (RFC)
OGC Seeks Public Comment on Candidate OGC SensorThings API Extension: WebSub Asynchronous Messaging Standard