The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is an international group that works to make geographic information and tools easier to find, access, share and use. More than 500 organizations including governments, companies and universities from around the world collaborate within the OGC to achieve this goal.
OGC’s main purpose is to develop geospatial standards. OGC standards are rules that allow integration of geographic information and ensure tools can be used consistently by people and software.
OGC standards are available to the public at no cost. Many open source and commercial software tools support OGC standards, allowing them to be easily used.
Globally, many diverse geographic datasets are made available through OGC standards, making them an important part of how the world works with geographic information.
The importance of the OGC for Canada
Canada has participated in the OGC since 1998. Canada’s contributions to the OGC have helped make geographic information more accessible within Canada and beyond, to improve how we do business and address major challenges like climate change.
Key benefits of OGC and its standards for Canada include:
Efficiency: standards make it easier and faster to work with different types of geographic data, allowing you to be more efficient.
Collaboration: OGC fosters collaboration among governments, companies, and universities worldwide, benefiting Canada through shared funding, exposure, and partnerships. By pooling resources, OGC members develop geographic solutions that Canada can use without bearing full costs. Canadian companies gain exposure through OGC activities, enabling small businesses to participate in large projects. Additionally, collaboration with partner nations like the U.S., U.K., and E.U. strengthens international relations while addressing common challenges.
Influence: Having a voice in the OGC is important for ensuring Canada can continue to benefit from the work of this organization. Groups who participate in the OGC influence the design of standards to meet their needs and values. By actively participating in the OGC, Canada ensures that its interests are considered within the OGC’s activities and products.
Participation: Currently Natural Resources Canada holds the highest level of OGC membership (Strategic). Canadian federal government departments, Indigenous organizations, private companies and academic groups are also members of the OGC. This allows these organizations to have a voice in how the OGC operates and participate in its activities.
- The OGC organizes its activities through working groups, committees, and regional forums, like the Canada Forum. Working groups (WGs) include Standards WGs for developing and maintaining standards, and Domain WGs for discussions on geospatial topics like Artificial Intelligence and climate change. Three committees (Strategic, Planning, Technical) provide oversight, with Canadian participation at each level. The Canada Forum fosters open discussions on geospatial issues relevant to Canadian government, Indigenous, industry, and academic groups, welcoming all to participate regardless of OGC membership.
Initiatives
The OGC completes practical initiatives to help develop its standards. Canada’s federal government regularly provides funding for these initiatives to gradually improve the way Canadians use and benefit from geographic information. They are:
- Concept Development Studies: Explore specific domains or technologies to identify geospatial requirements, informing future OGC initiatives.
- Testbeds: Collaborative research projects testing OGC standards in practical scenarios, addressing emerging needs and refining standards.
- Pilots: Prototype-driven projects testing standards for real-world applications, such as disaster management, to support operational requirements.
Learn more about OGC Initiatives
Meetings
The OGC holds regular meetings for members to discuss geospatial trends, advance standards, and build collaborations. Canada has hosted these sessions to support national participation. Discover past meeting highlights and upcoming dates:
OGC Connect iDays 2026 – Munich, Germany, from November 23-24, 2026
- Exploring the geospatial digital foundations that are necessary to enable smarter cities, infrastructure and construction.
OGC Connect Cape Town: 136th Technical Meeting – Cape Town, South Africa, from October 12-15, 2026
- Meeting focus will be determined shortly.
OGC Connect Helsinki: 135th Technical Meeting - Helsinki, Finland, from June 1-4, 2026
- Introduction of concept for OGC standards as “building blocks” that would allow AI agents to automatically combine standards to create custom geospatial workflows.
- Key topics: modernizing standards for AI, improving Europe’s geospatial infrastructure, updating OGC governance for working groups, metadata.
134th OGC Member Meeting – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, from March 2-5, 2026
- Multiple examples of how OGC standards are supporting 3D geospatial applications. Early discussion of how OGC standards can evolve to better support automated use by AI.
- Key topics: 3D geospatial data standards and use cases; modernizing standards for AI.
OGC iDays 2025 – Bad Nauheim, Germany, from December 9-10, 2025
- Included discussion of actions OGC should take to ensure its standards can support appropriate use of artificial intelligence.
- Key topics: artificial intelligence; data sovereignty and trust; improving geospatial interoperability across Europe.
133rd OGC Member Meeting – Boulder, Colorado, United States, from October 28-31, 2025
- Second OGC Innovation Summit focusing on use of geospatial standards for emergency management, and the future of standards for marine geospatial data.
- Key topics: extreme weather; use of artificial intelligence within OGC.
132nd OGC Member Meeting – Mérida, Mexico, from June 9-12, 2025
- First OGC Innovation Summit exploring use of geospatial standards and challenges, focusing on marine, land and space applications.
- Key topics: Engagement of Latin American nations in OGC; improving OGC’s governance.
Membership Opportunity
Each year, Natural Resources Canada is able to provide several free OGC memberships to interested organizations and individuals. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the OGC community and how it can benefit you.
Four memberships are available at the Professional/Developer level for individuals. Two memberships are available at the Explorer level for organizations. Memberships are valid for one year from the date of issue. More information can be found on the OGC’s website.
NRCan will accept applications for memberships once per year, normally beginning in April. More information will be provided here when applications are being accepted.
Applications for 2026 OGC memberships are now open!
NRCan is now accepting applications from individuals and organizations to obtain a free one-year OGC membership. Applications will be accepted until September 4, 2026. To apply, please complete this form.