Public Comment requested on OGC API - Common candidate standard, which outlines common elements for all OGC APIs

OGC APIs usher in a new age for location information on the web, enabling a much simpler way to share and access location information that is consistent with the architecture of the Web. The OGC API family of standards defines modular API building blocks to spatially enable Web APIs in a consistent way. Through the OGC APIs, the OGC community is standardizing how location information can be integrated: by any developer, with any other type of information, and into any type of application.

In the course of developing the family of OGC API standards, some elements proved to be common across them all. OGC has documented these common elements in the form of the OGC API - Common candidate standard.

OGC API - Common serves as a solid foundation upon which all OGC APIs can be built. The candidate standard identifies resources, captures compliance classes, and specifies requirements that are applicable to all OGC API standards.

Since OGC API - Common is the foundation for OGC API standards, a stable baseline is required prior to developing those standards. Yet the OGC API - Common standard cannot be finalized until it has been validated against those same standards. Therefore, the OGC API - Common SWG decided that OGC API - Common would go through at least two OGC Public Comment Periods. The initial request, in February 2020, established a “beta” version that was stable enough for use by other OGC API standardization efforts. Now that there is sufficient implementation experience, this final request seeks comment on the OGC API - Common candidate Standard as well as an answer to the question of whether OGC API - Common should be a Standard.