Request Closed: November 28, 2023 9:00 am — December 28, 2023 11:59 pm
The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) seeks public comment on a candidate Abstract Specification Topic: Topic 25 – Abstract Conceptual Model For Time. Comments are due by December 28, 2023.
Historically, the coordinate systems used in geospatial communities are two- or three-dimensional with temporal aspects stored as attributes of the data rather than valid components of the coordinate system itself. Inconsistency between the different approaches to defining and expressing time as an attribute continues to cause confusion and impede interoperability – even as geospatial applications and datasets become increasingly dynamic, faster, and multidimensional.
While the fundamental concepts of events, clocks, timescales, coordinates, and calendars have been long established, there remains no clear, straightforward defining document for them. As such, the new OGC Abstract Specification provides clear, consistent definitions of the fundamental concepts and terminology used to describe and express time.
The community can therefore use the common conceptual basis and terminology established by the OGC Abstract Conceptual Model for Time to define more detailed documents, such as logical and implementation standards, which can then contribute to building better and more interoperable systems. Critically, the document is consistent with the established OGC 18-005r4: OGC Abstract Specification Topic 2: Referencing by coordinates) (and its ISO equivalent, ISO 19111:2019 Geographic information Referencing by coordinates) and W3C Time Ontology in OWL Standards.
The primary goal of the Abstract Conceptual Model for Time is to establish clear concepts and terminology. The document defines the major underlying concepts regarding time and the relationships between these concepts, but does not define any concrete temporal reference system or give detailed guidance on implementations.
The candidate Topic 25 – Abstract Conceptual Model For Time (23-049) (.PDF) is available for review and comment on the OGC Portal. Comments are due by December 28, 2023, and should be submitted via the method below.
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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.
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