What is the primary purpose of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)?

The primary purpose of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is to facilitate the sharing of geospatial data. OGC is a global organization that develops and promotes standards to ensure that geospatial data and services are portable, interoperable, and usable across different systems and applications. This focus on interoperability is essential in enabling organizations to work together, share data, and utilize geospatial information effectively across various platforms and technologies. By creating a common framework and terminology for geospatial information, OGC allows users to access, combine, and analyze data from different sources, thereby enhancing collaboration and innovation in fields such as urban planning, environmental monitoring, and disaster response.

The other options pertain to specific functions or goals that are secondary to the main mission of OGC. While standardizing data language and developing standards is important, it primarily serves the overarching goal of facilitating data sharing. The creation of hardware and implementation of GIS software solutions are outside the main focus of OGC, as they do not constitute standardization or interoperability efforts, which are central to OGC's mission. Thus, the emphasis on data sharing highlights the organization's role as a facilitator and enabler of geospatial data collaboration.