The OGC FMSDI Pilot will develop a federation of MPA datasets; assess current marine standards and data; and design a maturity model and roadmap for Marine SDI development.

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) released the Call For Participation (CFP) in early November to solicit proposals for funded participation in the OGC Federated Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure Pilot (FMSDI). This is a reminder that responses are due by December 10, 2021.

The Pilot consists of three segments of focus: developing a federation of S-122 Standard Marine Protected Area (MPA) data sets; exploring the data fidelity, mobility, and versatility of S-100 Product Specification as well as other marine standards and data; and designing a UNGGIM-IGIF derived Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure (IGIF-MSDI) maturity model that provides a roadmap for MSDI development.

The FMSDI initiative builds on the accomplishments of several previous OGC Initiatives:

• The Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure Concept Development Study, which summarized the efforts and information gathered from a Request for Information that focused on in-depth data requirements, architecture, and standards needs for a Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure. 
• The Maritime Limits and Boundaries Pilot, which worked to build a detailed implementation for testing IHO S-121 Standard data.
• The Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure Pilot, which utilized international standards to support a spatial data exchange focusing on the complex issues of Arctic marine space.

The FMSDI initiative consists of three (3) phases.

1. A Request for Information (RFI), which is already completed. This RFI focused on resource collection with a primary focus on Marine Protected Area (MPA); who has that data, how is it stored, where can it be accessed, etc.
2. The second phase extends the MPA-focus of the first phase by digging into all the various data services and begins building out an S-122 demonstration model, including the exploration of the S-100 data specifications and how other data (terrestrial, meteorological, Earth observation, etc.) can mingle to create a more holistic view of the region of focus. In addition, phase two designs a Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure (MSDI) maturity model, which provides a roadmap for MSDI development. The maturity model will be derived from the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (UNGGIM-IGIF).
3. The third phase, which is expected to start later in 2022, will primarily extend the use cases developed in the second phase and add the Arctic region as a new location to the demonstration scenarios. An additional CFP will be developed and released in 2022 to initiate the third phase.

The OGC Federated Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure Pilot is being conducted under OGC’s Innovation Program, a collaborative, agile, and hands-on prototyping and engineering environment where sponsors and OGC members come together to address location interoperability challenges while validating international open standards. To learn about the benefits of sponsoring an OGC Innovation Program Initiative such as this, visit the OGC Innovation Program webpage, or watch this short video on how OGC’s Innovation Program can benefit your organization.

For more information on the Pilot, including the Call for Participation, visit the Federated Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure Pilot page on ogc.org. Proposal submissions close on December 10, 2021.

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.