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Figure 1. Basic data flow.
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The Data Model & API Standard: OGC SensorThings API (STA)
The above basic data flow requires a state-wdie wide data model and API standard. The NMWDI has chosen the OGC SensorThings API as the model and standard. The OGC is the Open Geospatial Consortium, an international standards organization that creates and publishes open standards for geospatial data management, processing, and sharing.
The STA data model
The STA data model is based on the Observations and Measurements data model of the OGC, which itself underlies many environmental science data systems that integrate data from many independent organizations. Examples include the CUAHSI HydroClient that provides centralized access to global streamgage, monitoring well, and meteorlogical networks; and the National Groundwater Monitoring Network that provides centralized access to standardized high-frequency groundwater level and quality data from federal, state, and local agencies. The STA data model provides a unifying metadata standard and data structure standard that can model any data generated about point or polygonal locations on earth. It is important to be bale to map agency data to this data model in order to structure each agency’s data in a compatible format and to provide a seamless data request experience to users. The STA data model shown in Figure 2 below.
Figure 2: The STA data model entity-relationship diagram
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