Geospatial & Observations
A converging family of OGC, W3C, and ISO standards for observation data. SOSA/SSN models what a sensor observed; SensorThings moves it; STAC catalogs satellite and drone imagery; GeoSPARQL makes it all queryable in the knowledge graph. Together they turn measurement-based MRV — methane sensors, satellite plumes, drone surveys — into standard evidence.
OGC / W3C / ISO
RoadmapOMS-aligned stackThis family is how measurement-based MRV becomes standard evidence: a methane sensor reading (SOSA observation via SensorThings), a satellite plume detection (STAC item), and a facility boundary (GeoSPARQL geometry) all land in the knowledge graph as first-class, verifiable observations tied to OFP facilities.
Key Facts
The Stack
All four layers are aligning on one observation model — OMS (ISO 19156:2023) — which makes adopting them together the forward-compatible bet.
SOSA/SSN Ontology
W3CThe W3C/OGC ontology for observations: sensor, observed property, feature of interest, result. The RDF backbone for all measurement evidence in the VKG.
OGC SensorThings API
OGCREST API for live sensor data — the standard transport for continuous monitoring feeds like methane sensor networks.
STAC
OGC CSSpatioTemporal Asset Catalog: how satellite scenes, methane plume detections, and drone survey flights are cataloged and cited as evidence objects.
GeoSPARQL
OGCGeospatial querying inside the existing SPARQL stack — which facilities intersect this plume, which assets sit in this basin.
Satellite MRV Sources
DataOperational today: Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI (free, daily, global), Carbon Mapper Tanager and GHGSat (facility-scale plumes). MethaneSAT's 2024–25 archive remains usable as historical evidence.
Integration Flow
Instrument data becomes standards-based observations linked to facilities — evidence that measures, not estimates.
Part of the Data Models family
See how every standard connects to the Open Footprint canonical core.