OGC announces Part 3 of the WaterML 2 suite of standards

22 March 2018: The membership of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) has approved the WaterML 2: Part 3 - Surface Hydrology Features standard. Part 3 defines a model for identification of surface hydrologic features, such as catchments, water bodies, and confluences, to support applications like modeling of surface water flow and accumulation. Such modeling is instrumental in water resource planning and flood prediction and analysis.

The WaterML 2: Part 3 - Surface Hydrology Features standard, more simply known as Surface Hydrology Features or just HY_Features, defines a common conceptual feature model for describing typical features of the hydrology domain using established models and patterns endorsed by WMO and UNESCO, such as those documented in the International Glossary of Hydrology.

This standard, along with expected future implementations of the conceptual model, forms the third part of the 'OGC WaterML 2' suite of standards, which groups water-related OGC standards. It follows Part 1: Timeseries, and Part 2: Ratings, Gaugings and Sections.

The ability to represent the same catchment, river, or other hydrologic feature in several ways is critical for cross-referencing related features and building integrated data systems. The HY_Features model helps aid in such data integration, as it supports referencing information about a hydrologic feature across disparate information systems or products.

As with any OGC standard, the open WaterML 2: Part 3 - Surface Hydrology Features standard is free to download and implement. Interested parties can view and download the standard from the WaterML 2: Part 3 - Surface Hydrology Features page on the OGC website.

Information on the other standards comprising the OGC WaterML 2 suite of standards is also available on the OGC WaterML page of the OGC website.