New Standard Working Group will improve data interoperability of GeoDataCube for Analysis Ready Data. The public comment period for the GeoDataCubes SWG will end 19 January, 2023.
December 19, 2022: The Open Geospatial Consortium is seeking public comment on the creation of a GeoDataCube Standards Working Group (SWG). The GeoDataCube SWG will enhance the interoperability between existing datacube solutions, simplify the interaction with different datacubes, and facilitate the integration of data from multiple datacube sources. By following a user-centric approach, the SWG will develop solutions that meet the needs of scientists, application developers, and API integrators.
The goal of the OGC GeoDataCube SWG is to create a new API specifically to serve the core functionalities of GeoDataCubes such as access and processing and to define exchange format recommendations, profiles, and a metadata model. The SWG also aims to analyze usability of already existing Standards and identify use cases.
Similar to other OGC APIs, the GeoDataCube SWG will create this new standard from existing building blocks such as existing geospatial Standards, previous OGC innovation initiatives, and other developer resources in a very use-case driven approach, i.e., with a small core and possible extensions. This will allow for interoperability across future OGC Standards.
With regards to existing and emerging OGC standards, the working group may look specifically at:
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OGC API – Environmental Data Retrieval: A family of lightweight interfaces to access Environmental Data resources.
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OGC API – Coverages: Defining a Web API for accessing coverages that are modeled according to the Coverage Implementation Schema.
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OGC Analysis Ready Data SWG products: proposed Standards to describe specific product types that are often implemented as Geodatacubes.
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OGC API – Processes: Supporting the wrapping of computational tasks into executable processes that can be offered by a server through a Web API.
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Zarr: An OGC Community Standard for the storage of multi-dimensional arrays of data.
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GeoTIFF and Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF: A format used to share geographic image data.
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Hierarchical Data Format (HDF5): A set of formats designed to store and organize large amounts of data.
The GeoDataCube SWG will follow an agile methodology with the goal to create a first core standard within the first year. Subsequent iterations may add additional functionality. The GeoDataCube SWG will start with a use case collection and analysis phase that further informs the selection of additional starting points or other work to be considered. The targeted use cases shall reflect real world scenarios, though should allow for a rapid implementation of the GeoDataCube standards without adding unnecessary complexity.
The OGC GeoDataCube SWG plans to meet at the OGC Member Meeting in Frascati, Italy, hosted by the European Space Agency (ESA) during the week of 20 February, 2023. Additional information about the meeting will be provided through OGC mailings.
The public comment period for the GeoDataCubes SWG will end 19 January, 2023, and the page is available at https://www.ogc.org/node/4828.
About OGC
The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is a collective problem-solving community of more than 550 experts representing industry, government, research and academia, collaborating 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-practices; collaborating on problem solving in agile innovation initiatives; participating in member 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.
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