The OGC® Announces Call for Participation in OWS-5 Testbed

May 11, 2007, Wayland, Massachusetts. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC®) has issued a Request for Quotes/Call for Participation (RFQ/CFP) for the OGC Web Services, Phase 5 (OWS-5) Interoperability Initiative, a testbed to advance OGC's open geospatial interoperability framework. The RFQ/CFP is available at http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/requests/40.

Based on sponsor requirements, the OWS-5 initiative is organized as six threads over two initiative phases:

1. Sensor Web Enablement (SWE)
2. Geo Processing Workflow (GPW)
3. Information Communities' Semantics (ICS)
4. CAD/GIS/BIM
5. Agile Geography
6. Compliance Testing (CITE)

Significant work items include geospatial Web service chaining and workflow, enhancements to the KML language, practical application of the Sensor Web, and application of GML to real-world scenarios.

The RFQ/CFP includes details of these threads as well as details of the bidders' conference, selection process and kickoff. Responses are due by June 8, 2007. If your organization is interested in participating, contact Raj Singh at rsingh@opengeospatial.org.

OWS testbeds are part of OGC's Interoperability Program, a global, hands-on and collaborative prototyping program designed to rapidly develop, test and deliver proven candidate specifications into OGC's Specification Program, where they are formalized for public release. In OGC's Interoperability Initiatives, international teams of technology providers work together to solve specific geoprocessing interoperability problems posed by the Initiative's sponsoring
organizations.

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.