Standards: The Foundation for Interoperability
OGC Standards make geospatial data easier to describe, share, and use—powering smarter solutions through modern APIs.
The Foundation for a Seamless Geospatial Future.
The Importance of Standards
OGC Standards matter because they turn collaboration into consistency. They provide a shared foundation that allows data, systems, and organizations to work together with confidence, reducing fragmentation, lowering integration costs, and enabling innovation at scale. Those standards are developed collaboratively by the community—moving from shared exploration and experimentation to clear requirements, and ultimately to formal, adoptable specifications through the OGC Technical Committee.
- They reduce costs
- They enable interoperability at scale
- They increase trust and transparency
Standards built by experts, driven by need.
How our Standards Program Works
OGC Standards are developed through collaboration across the community. Work begins with members coming together to explore interoperability needs, often through working groups and early experimentation. Domain Working Groups and testbeds help clarify requirements, which Standards Working Groups then shape into formal, adoptable standards through the OGC Technical Committee process.
Powering Geospatial Interoperability.
OGC Standards
OGC Standards are open, royalty-free specifications that enable seamless sharing and integration of geospatial data across systems, platforms, and domains. Developed through a global, consensus-based process, they support real-world applications in climate, disaster response, smart cities, and more.
Key Standard Families
- OGC APIs – Modern, RESTful interfaces for geospatial data access and processing
- Web Services (WMS, WFS, etc.) – Proven web services for maps, features, and coverages
- Data Models and Encodings – Standards for encoding geospatial data for a variety of applications
- Domain-Specific – Tools for 3D, hydrology, catalogs, and more
Open Calls and Requests
Members of the public can review candidate standards and share feedback to ensure they are practical and widely applicable.
Where experts collaborate to shape the future of geospatial innovation.
OGC Working Groups
OGC Working Groups bring together experts from across industries and domains to collaboratively develop, refine, and promote open geospatial standards. They provide a platform for members to exchange knowledge, address interoperability challenges, and shape the future of geospatial technology.
Standards Working Group
Standards Working Groups (SWGs) are formal groups within the OGC that are responsible for creating, reviewing, and maintaining open geospatial standards. Each SWG is chartered with a specific scope and mandate, ensuring that new or revised standards are developed through a transparent, consensus-driven process.
These groups bring together domain experts, technology providers, and users to address interoperability challenges, validate requirements, and ensure that OGC standards remain relevant, practical, and widely implementable across industries and communities.
Domain Working Group
OGC’s Domain Working Groups (DWGs) bring together experts from diverse sectors to advance geospatial standards across key areas. Covering fields such as Aviation, Built Environment & 3D, Business Intelligence, Defense & Intelligence, Emergency Management, Energy & Utilities, Environmental Sciences, Government Data Infrastructure, Mobile Location Services, Sensor Networks, and Academic Research. These groups encourage open, collaborative engagement.
Public DWGs are featured here, fostering innovation through shared expertise and cross-sector cooperation.
Built by the community. Trusted by the world.
Contribute to Standards
Join the OGC in developing and refining global geospatial standards. By contributing your expertise, you help create open, interoperable solutions that advance innovation, data sharing, and collaboration across industries and communities worldwide.
Request For Comment (RFC)
OGC Seeks Public Comment on Candidate OGC SensorThings API Extension: WebSub Asynchronous Messaging Standard