Standardising Digital Geographic Information

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) (see websites) Technical Committee 211, Geographic Information and Geomatics Plenary Meeting was hosted by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission JRC (see websites) in Pallanza, Italy from 6th to 7th October 2004. The formal Plenary was preceded by ISO/TC 211 technical working group and related meetings from 2nd to 5th October 2004.

This work aims to establish a structured set of standards for information concerning objects or phenomena directly or indirectly associated with a location relative to the Earth. These standards may specify for geographic information methods, tools and services for data management, including definition and description, acquisition, processing, analysis, access, presentation and transference of such data in digital and electronic form between different users, systems and locations. The work shall where possible link in with appropriate standards for information technology and data and provide a framework for the development of sector-specific applications using geographic data.

Developing Standards
ISO/TC 211 is comprised of fifty national bodies, liaisons with 25 major international professional organisations and twelve other standards committees and organisations and its work is concentrated on developing geographic data standards. ISO/TC 211 has a Joint Advisory Group (JAG) with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) that develops open geospatial software interfaces. In general, ISO/TC 211 meets twice a year, about 120 technical experts attending each meeting. Between these two major meetings there are also technical working group meetings, and considerable work is also achieved through online and email interaction. Olaf Ostensen, Norwegian Mapping Authority, serves as the chair, ISO/TC 211 and Bjørnhild Sæterøy, Standards Norway, as the secretariat.

Well-known Standards
ISO/TC 211 is currently completing its first generation 1994-2004 standards, consisting of a family of twenty integrated geographic data standards. The second generation of ISO/TC 211 standards is composed of standards for imagery and location-based services. Some well-known ISO/TC 211 standards include ISO 19115-Metadata Standard, ISO 19136 Geography Markup Language, and ISO 19128 Web Mapping Server interface WMS, originally developed and submitted for ISO standardisation by the OGC.

Plenary Resolutions
Resolutions approved at this Plenary are available on the ISO/TC 211 website, along with other sources of information related to the work on standards and activities specific to ISO/TC 211 and in general - see the ISO/TC 211 Newsletter. Of note at this Plenary was the approval of co-operative agreements to work together and co-ordinate the development of standards between ISO/TC 211 and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and ISO/TC 204, Intelligent Transport Systems - car navigation. Also significant was the establishment of a focus group on data producer, primarily national mapping organisations ‘to raise the awareness and promote the use of international standards in the area of geographic information by data producers and to collect requirements for development of additional standards in this area.’ During this meeting the ISO/TC 211 Advisory Group on Outreach also provided a Standards Tutorial for local users, Standards in Action Workshop, and a Class A Liaison Seminar.