Specification Program

OGC Standards are developed within the OGC Specification Program. Here the OGC Technical Committee and OGC Planning Committee work in a formal consensus process to arrive at approved (or "adopted") OpenGIS® Specifications or standards. Learn about the specifications that have been approved so far, and see the lists of products that implement these specifications.

View the Adopted OpenGIS Specifications or search the OGC Database for Compliant Products or vendor and user Implementations.

Look into OGC's Role in the Spatial Standards World.

How do you participate in the Specification Program or the development of these standards? The OGC Specification Program sometimes issues public requests for comments, proposals, information or technologies, for the purpose of ensuring the best possible technical foundation for an OpenGIS® Specification.(The Specification Program is the formal consensus process of OGC's Technical Committee and Planning Committee.)

The OGC process includes several areas where public comment are welcome and encouraged, whether you are an OGC member or not, your comments or submissions are necessary for the OGC process to be the best that it can be. Read about the Open Requests ( RFPs, RFCs, RFIs ). Comments or suggestions are always welcome on the OGC Public Forum.

To obtain broad input and support from geoprocessing technology users and providers, OGC issues formal public requests related to its Specification Program. These documents provide detailed information about the specific interoperability requirements to be addressed in an initiative, and they outline the steps that will be followed in planning and executing the initiative.

The OGC Technical Committee runs the specification development process with a published set of policies and procedures to carry out its work.

You can learn more about the Specification Program's Committees & Working Groups.