![\"Alan](\"https:\/\/fm-connect1.fortmindz.in\/wp-ogc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/alan-testimonial.png\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlan Leidner<\/span>Board of Directors Member, NYC GISMO<\/span><\/cite>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\nOGC holds regular member meetings across the globe where geospatial professionals convene to develop standards and advance innovation initiatives led by OGC Members. Most sessions are open to the public and offer valuable opportunities to network with leaders from industry, academia, and government, define future technology trends, and contribute to the open geospatial community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OGC\u2019s 129th Member Meeting will be held in Montreal, Canada, from June 17\u201322, 2024. The event kicks off OGC\u2019s 30th anniversary celebrations and carries the theme \u2018Standards Enabling Collaboration for Global Challenges.\u2019 Support for the meeting comes from OGC Strategic Member Natural Resources Canada<\/a>, with additional support from Esri Canada<\/a>, CAE<\/a>, Safe Software<\/a>, and dinner sponsor Bentley Systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eric Loubier, Director General of the Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) will open the week with a keynote, followed by a 30-year Canadian retrospective by OGC Board Chair Prashant J. Shukle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe 129th Member Meeting provides a great opportunity to hear from our incredible Canadian partners and community,\u201d said OGC CEO Peter Rabley. \u201cSome of OGC\u2019s earliest\u2014if not our first\u2014and longest-running supporters have been Canadians and Canadian firms. Our keynote from Eric Loubier and the exciting 30-year Canadian retrospective by Prashant Shukle will serve well to kick off the week\u2019s exciting sessions and discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThroughout the 30 years of OGC\u2019s history, Canadians have played a foundational role,\u201d said OGC Board Chair Prashant J. Shukle. \u201cMy friend and mentor Dr. Bob Moses, who founded PCI Geomatics, was one of OGC\u2019s first funders and a long-time supporter of OGC. As an emergency room doctor, Bob saw the power of new technologies and data. Critically, he understood that technologies had to work together seamlessly and effectively to really address complex problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLike Bob, many other Canadians instantly saw the powerful role and impact that OGC could have, and I am constantly amazed at their leadership and vision. It is my privilege to honor those Canadians who have gone almost unnoticed here in Canada, but who have fundamentally changed how the world uses technology across so many industries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other highlights of the week will include a Methane Summit, a meeting of the OGC Canada Forum, the popular Future Directions session (this meeting\u2019s topic is AI), as well an abundance of working group sessions on topics such as marine, climate & disaster resilience, and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Methane Summit is organized by Steve Liang, Professor and Rogers IoT Research Chair at the University of Calgary and Founder and CTO of OGC Member SensorUp<\/a>. Steve is spearheading this summit to tackle the critical global challenge of monitoring and tracking methane emissions. The event will feature speakers from McGill University<\/a> and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)<\/a>, who will discuss the challenges and opportunities of data management in methane emissions management. Attendees will also be introduced to the Methane Emissions Modeling Language (MethaneML)\u2014a new tool designed to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of methane emissions tracking & reduction. This summit promises to be a significant step forward in our collective efforts to address climate change through innovative data solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The meeting of the OGC Canada Forum<\/a> is scheduled for June 17 & 18. The Canada Forum is open to all Canadian organizations, regardless of OGC membership status. The sessions have the aim of facilitating collaboration to address Canada\u2019s geospatial needs through capacity building, innovation, standards, and economic growth. Cameron Wilson, Project Manager at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), will delve into the history, progress, and future priorities of the forum, highlighting key issues crucial for the Canadian community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another highlight of the Forum will be a debate addressing the topic: In an era of ever-increasing data availability, there is a pressing need for digital interoperability to solve today\u2019s biggest problems through rapid innovation. Standards only slow this down and are therefore no longer necessary.<\/em> Debaters include Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist at Google, the aforementioned Steve Liang, Will Cadell, CEO of Sparkgeo<\/a>, and Bilyana Anicic, President of Aurora Consulting<\/a>. This session promises to offer broad perspectives on the role that standards can, should, or won\u2019t play in today\u2019s rapidly evolving geospatial landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This meeting\u2019s Future Directions session, held Tuesday morning, is all about AI, with presentations and a panel from Bentley Systems, GeoRoundtable<\/a>\/IEEE GRSS<\/a>, makepath<\/a>, and TerraFrame<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Participation in the 129th OGC Member Meeting is welcomed both in-person and remotely. This event is an exciting opportunity to engage in sessions that celebrate three decades of geospatial collaboration and innovation. Attendees will have the chance to learn from, and network with, leading experts from around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n