Leading the Future of Geospatial Innovation 

Industry

Academia & Research

Academic and research institutions need collaborative platforms and open standards to drive innovation and tackle global geospatial challenges. When diverse geospatial data sources and systems aren’t interoperable, research effectiveness and knowledge sharing suffer. OGC creates a collaborative environment where academic institutions can contribute to and benefit from the development of open standards. 

Industry

Agriculture

Agricultural productivity and sustainability increasingly depend on precise, real-time data to address complex challenges like climate change, water scarcity, and food security. OGC’s sensor standards, such as SensorThings API, play a key role in enabling seamless data exchange and integration across agricultural systems. They help collect, process, and share information from sensors, satellite imagery, and in-situ data. 

Industry

Built Environment & Infrastructure

The built environment and infrastructure sectors rely on accurate and interoperable indoor and outdoor spatial data for effective management throughout the lifespan of buildings and capital projects. Standards such as LandInfra/InfraGML Standard and Indoor GML enable seamless data integration, promoting innovation and productivity in building design, infrastructure management, and facilities operations. 

Industry

Business Intelligence

In business research and calculations about customers, suppliers, distributors, natural resources, transportation hubs, energy and more, location is critical. OGC can turn geospatial business intelligence user requirements into standards that help business intelligence vendors take advantage of the rapidly growing ecosystem of interoperable Web-based spatial data and service resources.   

Industry

City Management and Urban Planning

Urban areas are facing significant challenges due to population growth and increasing infrastructure demands. OGC has been actively supporting sustainable and Smart Cities, that create digitally connected urban environments using technology and data to improve livability, sustainability, and resilience. OGC standards like CityGML, IndoorGML, SensorThings, and 3D Tiles provide the framework for interoperability in Smart City applications. 

Industry

Defense & Intelligence

In the Defense and Intelligence (D&I) sector, precise geospatial information is crucial for various applications such as planning, intelligence, and logistics. As D&I systems become more interconnected, the need for interoperable data standards is increasingly important. By aligning standards with D&I requirements, OGC ensures that the community can access reliable and interoperable geospatial data for mission-critical operations. 

Industry

Geoscience / Earth Science

The geoscience sector relies on diverse disciplines like geology, hydrogeology, and seismology to understand Earth systems comprehensively. The existence of data silos and varying formats often hinders information discovery and sharing. OGC supports geoscience needs through standards such as GeoScience Markup Language (GeoSciML) and GroundWaterML (GWML2).  

Industry

Land Administration

Effective land administration is essential for sustainable development, economic growth, and social equity. OGC collaborates with global stakeholders to promote open standards that support efficient, transparent, and interoperable land administration systems. OGC’s Land Administration experts group plays a crucial role in this effort. 

Industry

Marine

Marine and coastal environments are crucial for ecological balance and economic activities, but managing and integrating geospatial data in these areas is challenging due to constantly changing conditions, diverse data sources, and the need for interoperability across different domains. OGC has been developing standards and demonstrating solutions for marine geospatial data interoperability for over a decade. 

Industry

Meteorology & Oceanography

Meteorology and oceanography are characterized by constant change and complexity. They deal with highly dynamic, spatial, and temporal data collected from various sources over different timeframes. OGC standards and profiles enable the meteorological and oceanographic communities to develop effective, interoperable web services and data content across the broader geospatial domain. 

Industry

National and Regional Governments

National and regional governments handle large amounts of spatial data that are crucial for infrastructure, public services, and economic development.  Effective Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) help integrate this data across different governmental levels and among the citizens. OGC standards, including those for Web Services (WMS, WFS), GeoSynchronization, and the OGC API family, form the foundation of modern SDIs. 

Industry

Utilities

In the utilities sector, every asset and customer has a location, and understanding these spatial relationships is crucial for effective management. Whether it’s planning the layout of power lines, maintaining underground pipelines, or optimizing the placement of wind farms, location data is vital. The Model for Underground Data Definition and Integration (MUDDI) standard provides a framework for managing sub-surface data. 

Technologies

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning (AI/ML)

OGC members have collaborated on evolving standards, including the Training Data Markup Language for Artificial Intelligence (TrainingDML-AI) which enables better management of geospatial datasets for machine learning. 

Technologies

AR/MR/VR

OGC members have adopted the Augmented Reality Markup Language, CDB and GeoPose standards in support of inoperability in Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. 

Technologies

Big Data

OGC’s standards and innovation programs focus on leveraging technologies like data cubes and integrating AI and ML techniques into federated big data projects across sectors such as defense, climate, and the environment. 

Technologies

Blockchain

OGC’s community is exploring blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) to improve trust and provenance in geospatial data processing. The current focus includes decentralized protocols and smart contract infrastructures to ensure secure, automated data management. 

Technologies

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

BIM and geospatial data integration into building design and management is playing a critical role in assessing solar studies, urban planning, and sustainable building practices. OGC collaborates with buildingSMART International to discuss and mature standards such as CityGML and Land and Infrastructure Conceptual Model (LandInfra/ Infra GML) which bridge the gap between GIS and BIM. 

Technologies

Cloud

Cloud-native geospatial standards let users access and manage spatial data efficiently by leveraging cloud infrastructure. OGC has developed standards like Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG), Indexed 3D Scene Layers, and 3D Tiles to streamline data workflows. These standards reduce the burden on data providers, and they lower costs. 

Technologies

Digital Twins

Digital Twins are virtual representations of physical environments, from cities to natural ecosystems. OGC develops standards to integrate real-time sensor data, advanced visualization, and analysis tools for creating and simulating Digital Twin environments. 

Technologies

Earth Observation

OGC develops standards to manage the increasing volume of satellite and in-situ Earth Observation (EO) data. OGC standards such as EO Metadata profile of Observations & Measurements, EO Dataset Metadata GeoJSON(-LD), Open Search for EO, and Ordering Services for EO, along our commitment to STAC as a OGC Standard helps create interoperable EO platforms.

Technologies

Geodesy

OGC’s recent contributions to geodesy include developing the Functional Model for Crustal Deformation, a standard that ensures consistency in regional deformation models. This standard helps geodetic agencies and software developers create interoperable solutions for positioning, surveying, and mapping.

Technologies

Metaverse

The metaverse is envisioned as interconnected 3D spaces that rely on open standards for widespread adoption. OGC collaborates with the Metaverse Standards Forum to ensure that geospatial technologies play a key role in building the metaverse.

Technologies

Simulation and Gaming

Simulation and gaming technologies are increasingly used for training and real-world applications. OGC ‘s Interoperable Simulation and Gaming (ISG) sprints during 2020, 2021 addressed challenges in simulation technology. 

Technologies

Space Technologies

OGC’s space technology initiatives develop standards for space missions, including those in Low Earth Orbit and beyond. Our work addresses key areas like space situational awareness, positioning, navigation, and space assets

Technologies

Quantum Computing

Quantum computing holds promise for solving complex geospatial problems, including fast search algorithms and optimization challenges. OGC members have started to explore potential use cases and will be considering the need for a formal interface, data model, or best practice for using quantum computing in geospatial enterprises to solve optimization problems.