Topic: Improve Communication

The OGC includes many different participants working in many different work groups. Lack of effective communication between groups leads to may issues such as:

• lack of awareness of other groups tackling similar issues,
• lack of interest in the work of others,
• lack of knowledge of the activities and issues encountred by others, and even
• misunderstanding about the roles, goals and work of different groups.

The OGC has OGC Officers (President, Board, Chief Officers, ...), OGC Staff, OGC Members all working in various groups: the Board of Directors, the Planning Committe, the TC OGC Architecture Board, and the working groups of the TC. There are also outsiders to the OGC, either partners, implementors, or interested users who need to learn who is doing what and need to be able to provide feedback.

Relations to other topics

• Related to TopicOAB, since the OAB is one group whose work must be filed widely. (Note also the first comment in the discussion section which raises the issue of OAB communication and organization).
• Related to TopicOpenProcess, since communication is at the core of opening up the OGC process to outside view.

Discussion

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On behalf of Paula McLeod:

SWGs are mostly left to themselves to understand the OGC rules and policies, and to what they have to do. They need a mentor/guide to support them with procedure and the other existing specs. Sometimes SWGs need to start their work again because they did not know either OGC rules or policies to follow, or that part of what they need is already covered in another spec. Domain specific experts need to know what to do and how to do in the OGC complex environment (ex. applying the modular spec).

-- TrevorTaylor - 15 Aug 2013

Ideas Leadership Group Response: The Candidate Recommendation is intended to create accessible, concise summaries of OGC rules, policies and procedures ("one pagers") designed for OGC newbies (domain experts) and well as providing a guide for experienced OGC contributors who are venturing into new area, such as the Interoperability Program.

This topic also aimed to cover the communication between the OGC community and the various committees directing the OGC. For example, it is important that updates be provided to and feedback requested from OGC Members and outside interested people regarding the work and plans of the OGC Board of Directors, the OGC Planning Committee, and the OGC Architecture Board.

-- AdrianCuster - 23 Oct 2013

Ideas Leadership Group Response: The Leadership Group acknowledges this comment. Communications ideas cut across many of the topics ( see TopicIntegratePrograms and TopicActiveDirection ) and the group is working to ensure all ideas are accounted for in the recommendations.

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