OGC Sensor Web Enablement Architecture, Version: 0.4.0.

Abstract

This document describes the architecture implemented by Open Geospatial Consortium’s (OGC) Sensor Web Enablement Initiative (SWE). In contrast to other OGC SWE standards, this document is not an implementation standard. In much the same way that HTML and HTTP standards enabled the exchange of any type of information on the Web, the SWE initiative is focused on developing standards to enable the discovery of sensors and corresponding observations, exchange, and processing of sensor observations, as well as the tasking of sensors and sensor systems. The functionality that OCG has targeted within the Sensor Web includes: - Discovery of sensor systems, observations, and observation processes that meet our immediate needs - Determination of a sensor’s capabilities and quality of measurements - Access to sensor parameters that automatically allow software to process and geolocate observations - Retrieval of real-time or time-series observations and coverages in standard encodings - Tasking of sensors to acquire observations of interest - Subscription to and publishing of alerts to be issued by sensors or sensor services based upon certain criteria.