The OGC Interoperability Program (IP) is an essential part of OGC's fast, effective, inclusive user-driven process to develop, test, demonstrate, and promote the use of OpenGIS® Specifications. The functions of the Interoperability Program complement those of the Specification Program.

The OGC Interoperability Program uses member approved processes for organizing and facilitating the following types of Interoperability Initiatives:

• Test beds are fast-paced, multi-vendor collaborative efforts to define, design, develop, and test candidate interface and encoding specifications. These draft specifications are then reviewed, revised, and, potentially, approved in the OGC Specification Program.
• Pilot Projects apply and test OpenGIS specifications in real world applications using standards based commercial off-the-shelf (SCOTS) products that implement OpenGIS Specifications. Pilot projects help users understand how to best implement interoperable geoprocessing that meets their requirements for application, spatial data, and geoprocessing service sharing. These projects also help identify gaps for further work.
• Interoperability Support Services are designed to help organizations with open, standards based architecture.
• Interoperability Experiments are brief, low-overhead, formally structured and approved initiatives led and executed by OGC members to achieve specific technical objectives that further the OGC Technical Baseline.
• OGC Network™ is a window onto the dymamic, constantly changing geospatial web as described by the OpenGIS® reference Model (ORM). Multiple communities of interest for research in geospatial interoperability are supported, and persistent demonstration capability is provided.

See the Initiatives for summaries of particular past and active initiatives.

See the IP P&P for the policies, processes and procedures for the Interoperability Program.

The OGC maintains an IP Pool as a set of companies, universities, and independent consultants that have pre-qualified to be part of future OGC Initiatives. The OGC Interoperability Program conducts its mission by selecting expertise from the IP Pool to form project teams that conduct IP Initiatives. 

All OGC Interoperability Initiatives are publicly announced through a Request For Proposals (RFP). Any organization - member or non-member - can respond to the RFP. New proposals from public sector and private sector sponsors are welcomed. Contact:

George Percivall
Executive Director, Interoperability Architecture
Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.
gpercivall@opengeospatial.org