Press release

The OGC® Seeks Participants for Ocean Science Interoperability Experiment

The Open Geospatial Consortium Inc. (OGC) launched an Interoperability Experiment on ocean science interoperability on January 29, 2007.The initiators of the experiment seek participation by other organizations interested in interoperability among information systems used in ocean research.The Oceans Science Interoperability Experiment will promote understanding of various OGC Web Service (OWS) standards now implemented in various portal applications in the Ocean-Observing community, advance interoperability demonstrations for Ocean Science application areas, and harden software implementations.The final product of the experiment will be a candidate OGC Best Practices document for the broader ocean-observing community.Our partners around the country have years of experience using OGC specifications (e.g., www.oostethys.org ), and we welcome this opportunity to inform and advance the latest OGC standards.The specifications empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications.

Wayland, MA, February 1, 2007. The Open Geospatial Consortium Inc. (OGC) launched an Interoperability Experiment on ocean science interoperability on January 29, 2007. The initiators of the experiment seek participation by other organizations interested in interoperability among information systems used in ocean research.

The Oceans Science Interoperability Experiment will promote understanding of various OGC Web Service (OWS) standards now implemented in various portal applications in the Ocean-Observing community, advance interoperability demonstrations for Ocean Science application areas, and harden software implementations. The final product of the experiment will be a candidate OGC Best Practices document for the broader ocean-observing community. The Best Practices document will show how to use OGC specifications in marine-specific applications to improve discovery, access and use of Web-accessible ocean science data and services.

The OGC members acting as initiators of the Interoperability Experiment are:
* Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA)
* Texas A&M University – Academy for Advanced Telecommunications and Learning Technologies (TAMU)
* National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
* Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
* Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS)

Philip Bogden of GoMOOS and SURA said, “The Ocean Science community recognizes that standards enable innovation in scientific research and its practical applications. Our partners around the country have years of experience using OGC specifications (e.g., www.oostethys.org), and we welcome this opportunity to inform and advance the latest OGC standards.”

Organizations that wish to participate and that can meet the Requirements for Participation (see Oceans Science Interoperability Experiment Activity Plan[http://www.opengeospatial.org/projects/initiatives/oceansie]) must notify the OGC before February 15, 2007 of their desire to participate.

Contact Carl Reed at creed@opengeospatial.org for further details.

The OGC® is an international industry consortium of more than 335 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface specifications. OpenGIS® Specifications support interoperable solutions that “geo-enable” the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. The specifications empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications. Visit the OGC website at http://www.opengeospatial.org.