OGC Calls for Participants in a Major OGC Web Services Testbed.

WAYLAND, Mass. -- The Open Geospatial Consortium Inc. (OGC) announced a Request For Quotations (RFQ) from technology developers interested in a major Interoperability Initiative to develop and enhance OGC Web Services (OWS) standards that enable easy discovery, access and use of geographic data and geoprocessing services. The OGC Web Services Phase 3 (OWS-3) testbed advances OGC Web Services, the set of OpenGIS(R) Specifications for interfaces, schemas and encodings that comprise the interoperability framework for the emerging "Spatial Web."

Building on previous work in other OGC initiatives and technical working groups, selected OWS-3 participants will work collaboratively to extend and "ruggedize" existing and draft OpenGIS standards into a robust and complete interoperability framework for implementing multi-vendor enterprise -- and enterprise-to-enterprise -- solutions in government and business. The work will address a rich set of requirements provided by OWS-3's sponsors. Sponsors include: BAE Systems, IONIC Software, GeoConnections (Canada), Lockheed Martin, MAGIC Services Initiative, National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), National Technology Alliance (NTA), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, NAVTEQ, Questerra, US Geological Survey (USGS) and other organizations.

Participants will work in the following areas:

--Common Architecture

--Sensor Web Enablement (SWE)

--Geo-Decision Support Services (GeoDSS)

--Geo-Digital Rights Management (GeoDRM)

--Open Location Services (OpenLS)

The Request for Quotations can be downloaded from http://www.opengeospatial.org/initiatives/?iid=162. A Bidder's Conference (a conference call) will be held, as announced in the RFQ, on February 22, 2005. Questions for the call must be sent to [e-mail] by 2200 GMT on February 18, 2005. The response period begins February 11, 2005 and ends March 18, 2005. The OWS-3 kickoff will take place April 18-22, 2005 and the final demonstration of capabilities will take place in October 2005. The initiative manager will be Chuck Heazel. For more information on the OWS-3 Initiative, please contact George Percivall, [e-mail]

The OGC is an international industry consortium of more than 270 companies, government agencies 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.