Workflow Domain Working Group

Overview

The mission of the Workflow DWG is to establish a forum for describing, discussing, and solving any issues related to geospatial workflows.

Project Scope

The primary focus of this DWG is to help individuals and organizations to identify smarter, easier, and more economical ways to build, migrate, manage, and maintain workflows. The intent of the Workflow DWG is not to discuss workflows in general, but rather how those workflows relate to geospatial information and address the special needs of the geospatial community.

Background

The Workflow Domain Working Group (DWG) at OGC recognizes that many organizations rely on a range of disparate software applications from various providers to construct customized solutions that cater to their intricate requirements. This trend is so prevalent that a significant portion of the geospatial industry focuses on these tailored solutions. However, such bespoke geospatial systems often present challenges; they can be cumbersome to develop, manage, and maintain, leading to substantial costs or the need for specialized in-house expertise. There is a clear and widespread desire among these organizations to minimize the expenses associated with workflow development, thereby freeing up resources to tackle more complex geospatial challenges.

To address this need, the Workflow DWG is exploring strategies that can reduce these costs. One strategy advocates for the adoption of workflows that are grounded in established OGC standards and best practices, which can lead to economic benefits through shortened development times and enhanced workflow performance. Additionally, the DWG is dedicated to assisting solution providers in transitioning their existing software to operate within standards-based workflows, further streamlining the development process and integration of geospatial services. This focus on standardization and best practices is aimed at delivering cost-effective and efficient solutions for the geospatial industry.

Activities

The DWG is centered on enhancing the integration and widespread adoption of OGC services by tackling pertinent service integration issues. The DWG’s activities include identifying and evaluating use cases where workflows can be applied more efficiently, examining challenges in workflow construction and management, and exploring various techniques and tools for defining and sequencing workflow processes. Additionally, the DWG aims to improve how workflows present information to users, focusing on client interfaces and processing standards. Another crucial aspect of the DWG’s work is the harmonization of existing standards to streamline workflow development, thereby promoting a more coherent and user-friendly environment for workflow implementation within the geospatial community.