San Francisco, CA – June 3, 2025 – The Open Group Sensor Open Systems Architecture® or SOSA® Consortium has today announced the release of the Technical Standard for SOSA Reference Architecture, Edition 2.0, Snapshot 3. New features and functionality described in Snapshot 3 are intended for inclusion in Edition 2.0 of the standard when officially released.
Snapshot 3 includes a wide range of additional features and functionality, such as updates and improvements to the SOSA Data Model, a full revision and separation of the Electrical and Mechanical section, and new Hardware Acceleration content, which reflects efforts to develop standard interfaces at the Hardware Acceleration level. The snapshot also includes a general update and improvements to Hardware (3U and 6U) sections, as well as updated language in Section 14 for Containers and updates to In-Band (IB) and Out-Of-Band (OOB) content.
“The release of the Technical Standard for SOSA Reference Architecture, Edition 2.0, Snapshot 3 is a testament to the Consortium efforts to deliver an open standard that is both widely adopted and useful to the marketplace,” said Nick Borton, SOSA Consortium Steering Committee Vice Chair. “This document is a summary of new technical features that will support the commitment to enable interoperability and rapid product insertion and is published to clearly define the path the Consortium is taking in the development of the Reference Architecture.”
The newly released Snapshot also provides Security content updates for Attestation, SOSA Module 6.3, and Encryptor/Decryptor. New content and an Appendix have been added to integrate OSD Directed Energy Weapon System (DEWS) Reference Architecture v1.1 with SOSA Technical Standard, including updates to Task Manager, Tracker, PNT, and HPI modules.
Other key updates include:
- SOSA Space Appendix with an initial set of 3U form factor Plug-In Card (PIC) Slot Profiles that will enable interoperability within space sensor and avionics systems. The appendix also includes space specific extensions to existing SOSA content for Power Supply Cards (PSCs), PIC Slot Profile pitches and board length, and space specific Alternative Module Profile Scheme (AMPS) strings for the Appendix’s 3U Slot Profiles.
- Directed Energy Weapon System (DEWS) Appendix with details on the SOSA Modules that are unique to the directed energy weapon SOSA modality, including Directed Energy Source, Beam Transport, Beam Director, Deconfliction Safety, Thermal Management, and local DEWS Sensors.
- Standardization of function and interaction tables, including module and function IDs, general updates to the Interaction Binding (Section 15).
- Updated taxonomy to integrate notional system cardinality for SOSA Modules and added Instructure Elements, and updated SOSA Module definitions to merge PNT and define Host Platform Interface.
Snapshots are draft documents, which provide a mechanism for the Consortium to disseminate information on its current direction and thinking to an interested audience and represent the interim results of technical activities that advance the Technical Standard. A copy of the Technical Standard for SOSA Reference Architecture, Edition 2.0, Snapshot 3 is available for download here.
For more information about The Open Group SOSA Consortium and a list of Members, visit https://www.opengroup.org/sosa.
About The Open Group:
The Open Group is a global consortium that enables the achievement of business objectives through technology standards and open source initiatives by fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and mutual respect among our diverse group of 900+ memberships. Our Membership includes customers, systems and solutions suppliers, tool vendors, integrators, academics, and consultants across multiple industries. More information on The Open Group can be found at https://www.opengroup.org.
About the SOSA® Consortium:
As sensor systems increase in number, applications, cost and complexity, users need to address issues such as affordability, versatility and capabilities. Sensor systems should be rapidly reconfigurable and reusable by a greater number of stakeholders. The SOSA Consortium, with 170 member organizations, enables government and industry to collaboratively develop open standards and best practices to enable, enhance and accelerate the deployment of affordable, capable, interoperable sensor systems. https://www.opengroup.org/sosa.
