The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is a membership organization dedicated to solving problems faced by people and planet through our shared belief in the power of geography. OGC is one of the world’s largest data and technology consortia and—at 30 years old—one of its longest standing. OGC works with new and established partners and stakeholders to develop and apply accelerated, practical, and implementable solutions to today’s biggest issues, from climate resilience, emergency management, and risk management & insurance, to supply chain logistics, transportation, and health care and beyond.
OGC holds regular member meetings across the globe where geospatial professionals convene to develop standards and advance innovation initiatives led by OGC Members. Most sessions are open to the public and offer valuable opportunities to network with leaders from industry, academia, and government, define future technology trends, and contribute to the open geospatial community.
OGC’s 129th Member Meeting will be held in Montreal, Canada, from June 17–22, 2024. The event kicks off OGC’s 30th anniversary celebrations and carries the theme ‘Standards Enabling Collaboration for Global Challenges.’ Support for the meeting comes from OGC Strategic Member Natural Resources Canada, with additional support from Esri Canada, CAE, Safe Software, and dinner sponsor Bentley Systems.
Eric Loubier, Director General of the Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) will open the week with a keynote, followed by a 30-year Canadian retrospective by OGC Board Chair Prashant J. Shukle.
“The 129th Member Meeting provides a great opportunity to hear from our incredible Canadian partners and community,” said OGC CEO Peter Rabley. “Some of OGC’s earliest—if not our first—and longest-running supporters have been Canadians and Canadian firms. Our keynote from Eric Loubier and the exciting 30-year Canadian retrospective by Prashant Shukle will serve well to kick off the week’s exciting sessions and discussions.”
“Throughout the 30 years of OGC’s history, Canadians have played a foundational role,” said OGC Board Chair Prashant J. Shukle. “My friend and mentor Dr. Bob Moses, who founded PCI Geomatics, was one of OGC’s first funders and a long-time supporter of OGC. As an emergency room doctor, Bob saw the power of new technologies and data. Critically, he understood that technologies had to work together seamlessly and effectively to really address complex problems.
“Like Bob, many other Canadians instantly saw the powerful role and impact that OGC could have, and I am constantly amazed at their leadership and vision. It is my privilege to honor those Canadians who have gone almost unnoticed here in Canada, but who have fundamentally changed how the world uses technology across so many industries.”
Other highlights of the week will include a Methane Summit, a meeting of the OGC Canada Forum, the popular Future Directions session (this meeting’s topic is AI), as well an abundance of working group sessions on diverse topics such as marine, climate & disaster resilience, and beyond.
The Methane Summit is organized by Steve Liang, Professor and Rogers IoT Research Chair at the University of Calgary and Founder and CTO of OGC Member SensorUp. Steve is spearheading this summit to tackle the critical global challenge of monitoring and tracking methane emissions. The event will feature speakers from McGill University and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), who will discuss the challenges and opportunities of data management in methane emissions management. Attendees will also be introduced to the Methane Emissions Modeling Language (MethaneML)—a new tool designed to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of methane emissions tracking & reduction. This summit promises to be a significant step forward in our collective efforts to address climate change through innovative data solutions.
The meeting of the OGC Canada Forum is scheduled for June 17 & 18. The Canada Forum is open to all Canadian organizations, regardless of OGC membership status. The sessions have the aim of facilitating collaboration to address Canada’s geospatial needs through capacity building, innovation, standards, and economic growth. Cameron Wilson, Project Manager at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), will delve into the history, progress, and future priorities of the forum, highlighting key issues crucial for the Canadian community.
Another highlight of the Forum will be a debate addressing the topic: In an era of ever-increasing data availability, there is a pressing need for digital interoperability to solve today’s biggest problems through rapid innovation. Standards only slow this down and are therefore no longer necessary. Debaters include Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist at Google, the aforementioned Steve Liang, Will Cadell, CEO of Sparkgeo, and Bilyana Anicic, President of Aurora Consulting. This session promises to offer diverse perspectives on the role that standards can, should, or won’t play in today’s rapidly evolving geospatial landscape.
This meeting’s Future Directions session, held Tuesday morning, is all about AI, with presentations and a panel from Bentley Systems, GeoRoundtable/IEEE GRSS, makepath, and TerraFrame.
Participation in the 129th OGC Member Meeting is welcomed both in-person and remotely. This event is an exciting opportunity to engage in sessions that celebrate three decades of geospatial collaboration and innovation. Attendees will have the chance to learn from, and network with, leading experts from around the world.
Register now for the 129th OGC Member Meeting to be part of OGC’s continued efforts to advance location data and technology and collaboratively address critical global challenges.
