Request Open: June 25, 2025 12:00 am — July 24, 2025 12:00 am (14 days left) (AoE)
June 25, 2025: The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) seeks public comment on proposed revisions to The ModSpec Model: A Standard for Designing and Writing Modular Standards (ModSpec). Comments are due by July 24 2025. The ModSpec is an OGC member-developed and approved document that defines a model and related requirements and recommendations for designing, writing, and structuring modular standards documents. Designed as a meta-standard, the ModSpec outlines how to define standards that are both modular and testable, thereby enabling consistent implementation and verifiable conformance.
The ModSpec:
- Specifies rules for the internal structure and organization of a standard;
- Defines requirements for specifying the structure of a standards document as organized sets of criteria, those that are to be tested (“requirements”) and those that are not tested (“recommendations” and “permissions”);
- Supports the clear and concise specification of requirements (the ‘shalls’ or ‘musts’ in a standard) that fully supports the ability to define implementable conformance tests; and
- Formalizes the implementation of these specifications in the ModSpec so that reusable, modular standards can be developed.
The standardization goal of the ModSpec is to define the characteristics and structure for the specification of modular and testable standards that will encourage implementation by minimizing difficulty in determining requirements, mimicking implementation structure, and maximizing usability and interoperability. This approach helps ensure that interoperable implementations of a standard can be tested for conformance.
The first version of the ModSpec was approved by the OGC Membership in 2009. There have been no revisions to the ModSpec since then. The new revision is based on suggestions and issues raised since the original approval in 2009. A complete list of revisions, other than fixes to spelling and grammatical errors, can be found in the ModSpec Version 1.1 Release Notes.
The revised documents (The ModSpec Model: Core, The ModSpec Model – Part 2: UML and The ModSpec Model – Part 3: XML) are available for review and comment on the OGC Portal. Comments are due by July 24, 2025 and should be submitted via the method outlined below.
To Comment:
Comments can be submitted to a dedicated email reflector for a period ending on the “Close request date” listed above. Comments received will be consolidated and reviewed by OGC members for incorporation into the document. Please submit your comments via this email address, using this Comments Template for the message body.
Alternatively, comments can be submitted as issues via the OGC ModSpec GitHub repository during the same public comment period. Submitted feedback will be reviewed and considered for inclusion by the editors.
About OGC
The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is a membership organization dedicated to using the power of geography and technology to solve problems faced by people and the planet. OGC unlocks value and opportunity for its members through Standards, Innovation, and Collaboration. Our membership represents a diverse and active global community drawn from government, industry, academia, international development agencies, research & scientific organizations, civil society, and advocates.
Visit ogc.org for more information about our work.