2.4 Open Geospatial Consortium

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2.4 Open Geospatial Consortium

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)⁸ was formed out of the Open GRASS Foundation (OGF) in 1994 (known as OpenGIS Consortium until 2004). It is an international non-profit industry association consisting of businesses, government organizations and universities with a current (May 2007) membership base of over 340 members [OGC][Joos 2003].

The OGC's objective is to define open standards in the form of interfaces and protocols for standard access to spatial information, as well as to provide public access to these specifications for the purpose of interoperability [Pichler u. Klopfer 2005]. All specifications are arrived at by consensus [Joos 2003]. OpenGIS® is the registered trademark of the Open Geospatial Consortium [OGC].

Products and services conforming to OGC specifications allow for a smooth exchange and/or use of spatially referenced data between different systems. This interoperability, even within competing applications, also enables users to select an application that best suits their needs and requirements [Pichler u. Klopfer 2005].

2.4 Open Geospatial Consortium

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