OGC seeks public comment on Web Services Security Candidate Standard

1 March 2018: The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) seeks public comment on the OGC Web Services Security Candidate Standard.

For years various implementations of OGC Web Services have integrated some degree of security through Information Assurance (IA) controls . However, these implementations break interoperability, as they each extend the functionality of OGC Web Service (OWS) standards differently. As such, interoperability between secured OGC Web Services and clients is limited to systems custom-built to work with an IA implementation.

The objective of the OGC Web Services Security Standard is to allow the hosting of OWS on HTTPS, the implementation of IA controls and to advertise its existence in an interoperable way with no impact to existing implementations using a backwards-compatible approach. No changes to existing OGC Web Services standards are required. The approach used in this candidate standard is based on existing functionality in the OGC Web Services Capabilities document in a consistent manner.

Uptake of the standardized approach as a build-in to new OGC Web Services standards will ensure security interoperability.

This standard has come as a result of research undertaken during OGC Testbeds 11, 12, and 13, part of OGC’s Innovation Program.