A series of Sprints will build and test prototype implementations of four draft OGC API specifications to ensure that they are as developer-friendly, usable, and mature as possible

15 July 2020: The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) invites software developers to the next three OGC API Sprints for 2020. These sprints will each be held as two-day remote participation/web conferencing events during July, August, and September, 2020. Registration for the Q3 2020 OGC API Sprints is here.

The sprints will cover the draft OGC API - Common, OGC API - Maps and OGC API - Coverages specifications, as well as the draft Part 4 of the OGC API - Features standard. 

These draft specifications come from OGC’s concerted effort to create modular, resource-oriented API standards that use OpenAPI for describing interfaces that offer geographic information over the web - known collectively as the OGC API family of standards.

To ensure that all OGC APIs are as developer-friendly, usable, and mature as possible before release, all OGC APIs are being put through Sprints to test and improve their ‘readiness’ before starting the OGC standards approval process. An OGC Sprint is a collaborative and inclusive event driven by innovative and rapid programming with minimal process and organization constraints to support the development of new applications and open standards. 

In this 2020 series of OGC API Sprints, participants will prototype implementations of the four OGC API specifications described below, identify missing requirements, and document these requirements so that the specifications can be tested and improved.

The draft OGC API - Maps - Part 1: Core specification defines a Web API for requesting map images over the Internet. OGC API - Maps makes it easy for a client application to request images, changing parameters such as size and coordinate reference systems at the time of request. A server that implements OGC API - Maps provides information about available maps, as well as producing a map and answering queries about the content of the maps. OGC API - Maps is expected to address use cases similar to those addressed by the OGC Web Map Service (WMS) standard.

The draft OGC API - Coverages - Part 1: Core specification defines a Web API for publishing and accessing coverages that are modeled according to the OGC Coverage Implementation Schema (CIS), for example satellite imagery and digital elevation models. The draft OGC API - Coverages specification makes it easy for a client to request coverages, changing parameters such as the spatial extent and coordinate reference systems at the time of request. A server that implements the specification provides information about what coverages are available, and the functionality the server offers. OGC API - Coverages is expected to address use cases similar to those addressed by the OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS) standard.

The draft OGC API - Common - Part 2: Collections specification provides a common connection between the API landing page and resource-specific details. That connection includes metadata that describes the collections of hosted resources, common parameters for selecting subsets of those collections, and URI templates for identifying the above. This common connection is sufficient to start the client down the path to resource discovery. 

OGC API - Features is a multipart standard that provides API building blocks for creating, modifying, and querying geospatial features over the Web. The draft Part 4 specification extends the core capabilities specified in the approved Part 1 standard with the ability to add, replace, modify, and/or delete individual feature instances from a single feature collection.

The three Sprints will be held on the following dates:

• 28-29 July 2020: OGC API – Maps Sprint
• 10-11 August 2020: OGC API – Coverages Sprint
• 29-30 September 2020: OGC API – Common and OGC API – Features Sprint. This Sprint will also include a focus on security for OGC APIs.

More information and registration for the Q3 2020 OGC API Sprints is here. Registration closes on September 28th, 2020. For more information on OGC APIs visit ogcapi.org or follow along at #OGCAPI. Information on all upcoming OGC Sprints can be found here.

About OGC
The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is an international consortium of more than 500 businesses, government agencies, research organizations, and universities driven to make geospatial (location) information and services FAIR - Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.
OGC’s member-driven consensus process creates royalty free, publicly available geospatial standards. Existing at the cutting edge, OGC actively analyzes and anticipates emerging tech trends, and runs an agile, collaborative Research and Development (R&D) lab that builds and tests innovative prototype solutions to members' use cases.
OGC members together form a global forum of experts and communities that use location to connect people with technology and improve decision-making at all levels. OGC is committed to creating a sustainable future for us, our children, and future generations.
Visit ogc.org for more info on our work.