Best Practices

Documents containing discussion of best practices related to the use and/or implementation of an adopted OGC document and for release to the public. Best Practices Documents are an official position of the OGC and thus represent an endorsement of the content of the paper. Schemas for some of these documents can be at the Best Practices Schema Repository.

Document Title (click to download)	Version	Document #	Editor	Date
A URN namespace for the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)	0.4	07-107r3	Carl Reed	2008-05-02
This document describes a URN (Uniform Resource Name) namespace that is engineered by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) for naming persistent resources published by the OGC. The formal Namespace identifier (NID) is "ogc".
Binary Extensible Markup Language (BXML) Encoding Specification	0.0.8	03-002r9	Craig Bruce	2006-01-18
This OGC Best Practices document specifies a binary encoding format for the efficient representation of XML data, especially scientific data that is characterized by arrays of numbers. This encoding format is applicable to any application that uses XML format.
Cataloguing Earth Observation Products for ebXML Registry Information Model 3.0 based Catalogues	1.0	10-189r2	Frédéric Houbie; Fabian Skivee	2012-06-12
This OGC® document specifies the Earth Observation Products Extension Package for ebXML Registry Information Model 3.0, based on the [OGC 10-157r1] Earth Observation Metadata profile of Observations and Measurements. It enables CSW-ebRIM catalogues to handle a variety of metadata pertaining to earth observation p/roducts as defined in [OGC 10-157r1]. This proposed application profile document describes model and encodings required to discover, search and present metadata from catalogues of Earth Observation products. The profile presents a minimum specification for catalogue interoperability within the EO domain, with extensions for specific classes of metadata.
Compliance Test Language (CTL) Best Practice	0.6.0	06-126r2	Chuck Morris	2009-07-21
This document establishes Compliance Test Language, an XML grammar for documenting and scripting suites of tests for verifying that an implementation of a specification complies with the specification.
Definition identifier URNs in OGC namespace	1.3	07-092r3	Arliss Whiteside	2009-01-15
This document specifies Universal Resource Names (URNs) in the “ogc” URN namespace to be used for identifying definitions. These definitions include definitions of Coordinate Reference Systems (CRSs) and related objects, as specified in OGC Abstract Specification Topic 2: Spatial referencing by coordinates, plus several other resource types for which standard identifiers are useful in OGC Web Services. This document specifies the formats used by these URNs, including formats that can reference definitions recorded in the EPSG database and by other authorities. This document also specifies URNs for some specific definitions for which OGC is the custodian.
DGIWG WMS 1.3 Profile and systems requirements for interoperability for use within a military environment	0.9.0	09-102	Cyril Minoux	2009-09-02
This document specifies requirements for systems providing maps using OGC Web Map Service. The document defines a profile of OGC WMS 1.3 implementation standard [WMS1.3], a list of normative system requirements and a list of non-normative recommendations. The Defence Geospatial Information Working Group (DGIWG) performed the work as part of through the S05 Web Data Access Service Project of the Services & Interfaces Technical Panel.
EO Product Collection, Service and Sensor Discovery using the CS-W ebRIM Catalogue	1.0	11-035r1	Frédéric Houbie, Steven Smolders	2013-03-26
This is an OGC Best Practice document describing the relations that exist between several metadata conceptual models (EO Product, EO Product Collections, Sensors and Services). The specification of the linking between different artifacts is important for the process of cataloguing and discovering those artifacts.
FGDC CSDGM Application Profile for CSW 2.0	0.0.12	06-129r1	Patrick Neal, John Davidson, Bruce Westcott	2006-12-26
The OpenGIS® Catalogue Service Interface Standard 2.0.1 - FGDC CSDGM Application Profile for CSW 2.0 explains how Catalogue Services based on the FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM) [http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/metadata/base-metadata/index_html] Application Profile for the OpenGIS® Catalogue Service Interface Standard v2.0.1 [http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/cs] are organized and implemented for the discovery, retrieval and management of data metadata.
Gazetteer Service - Application Profile of the Web Feature Service Best Practice	1.0	11-122r1	Panagiotis (Peter) A. Vretanos, Jeff Harrison	2012-02-17
This document defines a Gazetteer Service profile of the OGC Web Feature Service Standard. The OGC Gazetteer Service allows a client to search and retrieve elements of a georeferenced vocabulary of well-known place-names. This profile extends the WFS interface in a way that a client is able to – Determine if a WFS implementation is acting as a Gazetteer Service. – Query the Gazetteer Service in order to retrieve place-name features without closer examination of the feature type definitions – Access metadata about the gazetteer(s) provided by the service – Update place-name features using WFS transactions – Fetch place-name features that have Parent-Child relationships and then follow those links
Gazetteer Service - Application Profile of the Web Feature Service Implementation Specification	0.9.3	05-035r2	Jens Fitzke, Rob Atkinson	2006-07-27
This document defines a Gazetteer Service profile of the OGC Web Feature Service Specification. The OGC Gazetteer Service allows a client to search and retrieve elements of a georeferenced vocabulary of well-known place-names.
GIGAS Methodology for comparative analysis of information and data management systems	0.5.0	10-028r1	Andrea Biancalana, Pier Giorgio Marchetti, Paul Smits	2010-06-04
This document has been written on the basis of a methodology developed within the GIGAS Support Action financed by the European Commission in order to address the convergence of global initiatives like GEOSS and the European interoperability initiatives developed in the context of the GMES programme like HMA - Heterogeneous Missions Accessibility and the INSPIRE spatial data infrastructure legislation.
GML Encoding of Discrete Coverages (interleaved pattern)	0.2.0	06-188r1	Simon Cox	2007-05-17
This specification describes a GML encoding for discrete coverages. The encoding pattern is a variation from the standard GML Coverage, in that the values in the domain and range are effectively "interleaved" rather than represented as two blocks and encoded sequentially.
GML PIDF-LO Geometry Shape Application Schema for use in the IETF	0.1.0	06-142r1	Carl Reed, PhD. and Martin Thomson	2007-05-17
This document defines an application schema of the Geography Markup Language (GML) version 3.1.1 for XML encoding of various geometric shapes required in the Presence Information Description Format (IETF RFC 3863) Location Object extension - A Presence-based GEOPRIV Location Object Format (RFC 4119).
OGC® KML Standard Development Best Practices	0.6	08-125r1	Tim Wilson, David Burggraf	2009-02-04
This OGC® Best Practices Document provides guidelines for developing the OGC KML standard in a manner that best serves and supports the KML application developer and user communities. It applies to the extension of KML by application developers and the subsequent enhancement of the KML standard by the OGC.
OGC® Name Type Specification for Coordinate Reference Systems	1.0	11-135r2	Peter Baumann	2013-06-18
This document specifies a Name Type Specification (NTS) for predefined, combined, and parameterized Coordinate Reference System (CRS) definitions. This NTS augments the /def/ namespace with http URI definitions for CRSs. The NTS is based on the Name Type Specification – definitions – part 1 – basic name [OGC 09-048r3] and supersedes OGC document “Definition identifier URNs in OGC name¬space” [OGC 07-092r3]. NTSs are maintained by the OGC Naming Authority (OGC-NA). This document includes one Annex: a user guide to the OGC CRS resolver.
OGC® Web Coverage Service 2.0 Primer: Core and Extensions Overview	2.0	09-153r1	Peter Baumann	2012-01-25
This document provides an overview on the OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS) 2.0 suite by describing WCS core and extensions. Intended target audience are developers intending to implement WCS servers and/or clients. This document aims at providing an overview and giving useful hints and best practices beyond the pure standards texts. It is a “living document” which will evolve to reflect new developments and best practices. As such, the contents of this document is informative and not of normative nature.
OpenGIS Sensor Planning Service Application Profile for EO Sensors	0.9.5	07-018r2	Philippe M	2008-01-21
The SPS configuration proposed in this profile is intended to support the programming process of Earth Observation (EO) sensors system. This profile describes a consistent SPS configuration that can be supported by many satellite data providers, most of whom have existing facilities for the management of these programming requests.
OpenGIS Web services architecture description	0.1.0	05-042r2	Arliss Whiteside	2005-11-21
This document summarizes the most significant aspects of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) web services architecture, which the OGC is currently developing. This architecture is a service-oriented architecture, with all components providing one or more services to other services or to clients.
PDF Geo-registration Encoding Best Practice Version 2.2	1.1	08-139r3	George Demmy, Carl Reed	2011-01-17
The intended audience of this document is a developer of software for creating and consuming geo=registered PDF documents that conform to PDF geo-registration 2.2. It specifies how to create the necessary PDF objects that identify a region of the PDF page as a map and describe the map’s coordinate systems. Map creation and rendering to a PDF page are not addressed. The underlying PDF file format is not addressed. The file format is specified in PDF Reference[1] .
Reference Model for the ORCHESTRA Architecture	2.1	07-097	Thomas Uslander (Ed.)	2007-10-05
This document specifies the Reference Model for the ORCHESTRA Architecture (RM-OA). It is an extension of the OGC Reference Model and contains a specification framework for the design of geospatial service-oriented architectures and service networks. The RM-OA comprises the generic aspects of service-oriented architectures, i.e., those aspects that are independent of the risk management domain and thus applicable to other application domains.
Semantic annotations in OGC standards	2.0	08-167r2	Frédéric Houbie, Philippe Duchesne, Patrick Maué	2012-10-10
In this OGC Best Practice, the concept of semantic annotations is introduced. Annotation of Web Services or data compliant to OGC standards refers to the task of attaching meaningful descriptions to the service and the served geospatial data or processes.
Sensor Alert Service	0.9	06-028r3	Ingo Simonis	2007-05-16
The Sensor Alert Service (SAS) can be compared with an event notification system. The sensor node is the object of interest. Each node has to advertise its publications at a SAS (advertise).
Sensor Web Enablement Architecture	0.4.0	06-021r4	Ingo Simonis	2008-08-20
This document describes the architecture implemented by Open Geospatial Consortium’s (OGC) Sensor Web Enablement Initiative (SWE). In contrast to other OGC SWE stan-dards, this document is not an implementation standard.
Summary of the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner Operator Phase 1 (AECOO-1) Joint Testbed	0.3.0	10-003r1	Louis Hecht, Jr., Raj Singh	2010-06-04
The Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner Operator, Phase 1 (AECOO-1) Testbed developed and implemented methods to streamline communications between parties in the conceptual design phase to get an early understanding of the tradeoffs between construction cost and energy efficiency. To that end, the project developed the interoperability components required for these analyses in collaborative team settings. These were Information Delivery Manuals (IDMs) for quantity takeoffs and energy analysis business processes, and used these to define Model View Definitions (MVDs)—standards-based subsets of Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs). AECOO-1 was conducted in response the felt need that overall productivity loss and fragmentation in the capital facilities development industries is no longer tolerable. All stakeholders need to practice the best way they know, and practice profitably; software interoperability problems must not hold them back. Non-interoperable software and data is cause for loss of competition across the market.
Units of Measure Recommendation	1.0	02-007r4	John Bobbitt	2002-08-19
Common semantic for units of measurement to be used across all OGC specifications.
User Management for Earth Observation Services	1.0	07-118r8	P Denis	2010-09-08
This document describes how user and identity management information may be included in the protocol specifications for OGC Services. The use cases addressed will make reference to EO (Earth Observation) services, for example catalogue access (EO Products Extension Package for ebRIM (ISO/TS 15000-3) Profile of CSW 2.0 [OGC 06-131]), ordering (Ordering Services for Earth Observation Products [OGC 06-141r2]) and programming (OpenGIS Sensor Planning Service Application Profile for EO Sensors [OGC 07-018r2]).
WAMI Services: Dissemination Services for Wide Area Motion Imagery - Best Practice	1.0	12-032r2	Rahul Thakkar, Michael Maraist	2012-12-05
This OGC Best Practice (BP) describes web interface specifications for the access and dissemination of Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) products and metadata. This BP also describes a framework and interface specifications common to all WAMI services. A WAMI - Primer has been developed to help you implement this Best Practice.
Web Map Services - Application Profile for EO Products	0.3.3	07-063r1	Thomas H.G. Lankester	2009-11-05
This OGC document specifies a constrained, consistent interpretation of the WMS specification that is applicable to government, academic and commercial providers of EO products.
Web Notification Service	0.0.9	06-095	Ingo Simonis, Johannes Echterhoff	2007-01-25
A service by which a client may conduct asynchronous dialogues (message interchanges) with one or more other services. This service is useful when many collaborating services are required to satisfy a client request, and/or when significant delays are involved is satisfying the request. This service was defined under OWS 1.2 in support of SPS operations. WNS has broad applicability in many such multi-service applications. It is now used in several SWE scenarios.