There are different ways to participate in OOSTethys and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Oceans Interoperability Experiment (OCEANS IE). It really depends on your interest and the amount of time you can commit. Anyone can use the tools for free. Everything is open source. We strive to make things as easy and as quick to implement as possible. If it's not easy, please let us know and we'll work on it.

You can also help develop, test and/or implement software tools and documentation. This way you can facilitate rapid implementation of open standards for interoperability. As a developer, you'll be part of an international collaborative effort. Developers are constantly creating new tools and updating the existing tools, cookbooks and HOWTOs. We highly encourage participation in this open community effort.

And if you want to help set the standards, you can do that too. The rewarding (and very time-consuming) process of actually setting the standards occurs through standards organizations such as the OGC, OASIS, W3C, etc. The OOSTethys partners that are OGC members initiated the OCEANS IE for this purpose. Through the OCEANS IE, we can inform, and be informed by, those who actually set the OGC standards. Our work with OGC standards will influence this international industry consortium of over 340 companies, government agencies and universities. OGC members participate in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface specifications. Anyone can sit at the table by becoming an OGC member, rolling up their sleeves and participating in the range of activities that advance OGC goals. By becoming an OGC member and setting the standards, you'll be empowering technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications.

Whether or not you're an OGC member, by participating in OOSTethys, you'll be setting the pace.

Non-OGC-Member Participation

• Join the mailing list by sending an email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU with 'SUBSCRIBE OOSTETHYS' in the message body.

OGC-Member Participation

• Subscribe to the OCEANS IE email list at https://mail.opengeospatial.org/mailman/listinfo/oceans.ie If there are others in your organization who would also like to participate (or observe), they will also need to subscribe.
• You as an OGC member could agree to be a participant or an observer.
  • You can actively by a participant by a having a concrete role in the project (for example implementing a client). Your organization must sign and return and OGC IE Participant agreement.
  • You can be an observer and not an active participant in the OCEANS IE, by accepting the terms and conditions as detailed in the online OGC Observer Agreement.

The Observer and Participant agreements ensure that any Intellectual Property related to OGC standards developed during the course of the IE remain vested in the OGC for the good of the Consortium and the membership. If you have any questions regarding these participant agreements, please email Carl Reed at creed@opengeospatial.org.

Teleconferences

Project teleconferences occur on a weekly basis. The details of the telecon are sent to the list members. All agendas of upcoming meetings, minutes of past meetings, and outstanding tasks can be seen on the OOSTethys meetings page.