Meteorology and Oceanography Domain Working Group

Overview

The OGC Meteorology and Oceanography DWG was established to ensure that OGC standards and profiles allow the meteorological community to develop effective interoperability for web services and content across the wider geospatial domain.

Project Scope

Meteorological and oceanographic data, in general, are/is multidimensional, continually evolving, highly spatial and highly temporal in nature. This Meteorology and Oceanography (MetOcean) Domain Working Group brings together OGC members in an open forum of the wider meteorological and oceanographic communities to work on oceanographic, meteorological and climatological data, metadata, and web services interoperability, greatly improving the way in which this information is described, shared and used.

Background

Meteorology and Oceanography information is spatial and temporal, marked by constant changes. This data, collected across various locations and timeframes, feeds into numerical weather prediction models that project conditions into the future or reconstruct the past. These projections have multiple temporal aspects, serving a diverse audience ranging from national agencies and private weather services to sectors like defense, aviation, and finance. The timely delivery of consistent these data is vital, often necessitating graphical presentation due to the inherent complexity of these phenomena.

In meteorology, multi-layered maps are common tools, blending radar and satellite imagery, various field types, and geographical orientation layers. These elements help interpret meteorological phenomena at different atmospheric levels or using non-standard vertical coordinates such as flight levels. Additionally, meteorological data may employ unique geo-referencing systems, with unconventional spatial reference systems or temporal metrics like climatological intervals. The challenge extends to ensemble models, where multiple simulations with varying initial conditions aim to identify statistically significant patterns. Addressing these complexities, the OGC and ISO standards including GML, WMS, WFS, WCS, requiring domain-specific profiling to ensure effective implementation across meteorological data networks.

Activities

The DWG undertakes a range of activities designed to bridge the gap between research and operational forecasting communities, promoting the use of common standards to facilitate the swift transfer of research advancements into practical applications. The group focuses on developing various communication materials, such as white papers, websites, and best-practice guides, which target the technical challenges associated with meteorological and climatological data management and exchange. Additionally, the DWG maintains a dedicated mailing list to foster discussion on domain-relevant issues within OGC, and it actively seeks to build relationships within the geospatial and meteorological communities to stimulate dialogue and share knowledge. The DWG is also involved in conceptualizing and executing demonstration and pilot projects that showcase OGC technologies in meteorological data management, thereby informing best-practice guidance. It serves as a platform for developing specification profiles and application schemas tailored for meteorological purposes and works to attract sponsorship for these initiatives.

Partners

The DWG is co-chaired by a representative from the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) and will work closely with related OGC Working Groups.

Contacts

Working Group Chairs: Chris Little (UK Met Office), Steve Olson (US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA))

Resources

MetOceanDWG
Official public repository for the OGC MetOcean Domain Working Group.

CoverageJSON
Supports the efficient transfer from big data stores to lightweight clients, such as browsers and mobile applications.

OGC API – Environmental Data Retrieval (EDR)
Interface for sampling data about the natural or built environment, using a spatio-temporal query pattern.

MetOceanDWG ad hoc
Working area for MetOceanDWG.

Abstract Specification on Time
Repository for the OGC Temporal Domain Working Group to develop an Abstract Specification for Time.

Time Series Modeling Language
Repository of the OGC Timeseries Markup Language (TSML) Standards Working Group.

Weather on the Web
Effort to clarify and formalize the weather related standards used to develop web services.

Tags:

Climate, CoverageJSON, Geospatial, Oceans, OGC API - EDR, Weather