OGC President Recognizes the Work of MMI

Given the magnitude and complexity of the issues, ocean research programs have much to gain by improving their ability to share ocean data, which almost always has spatial context. Not surprisingly, the oceans research community is aggressively implementing and using OGC standards to improve organizational, regional and global capabilities to access, process, integrate and apply ocean information, including real time sensor data.

The uptake of OGC standards in the oceans community is happening through coordination of best practices at the peer level and through governmental policy initiatives. Like the growth of the Web itself, it is driven by the opportunities inherent in a growing network. Researchers, scientists, and policy makers are happy to be contributing to a Web-accessible, shared information environment that enables them to better address the critical ecological and political issues facing the ocean's stakeholders -- virtually all the creatures on Earth.

In this excerpt from the March, 2008 OGC Newsletter, Mark Reichardt recognized members of the ocean science community that have embraced OGC standards. In addition to MMI, the President recognized OOSTethys, SURA, and GoMOOS. As the community continues to grapple with diverse datasets, adherence to OGC standards and interoperability "best practices" will enable complex research and result in pivotal conclusions.