UNIT 14

GEOSPATIAL STANDARDS

Structure____________________________________________________
14.1 Introduction ISO 19109: Geographic information —
Rules for Application Schema
Expected Learning Outcomes
ISO 19128: Geographic Information —
14.2 Need for Geospatial Standards
Web Map Server Interface
14.3 International Organisations and
ISO 19136: Geographic information —
Processes of Geospatial Standards
Geography Markup Language
Open Geospatial Consortium
14.6 Indian Geospatial Standards
International Organization for
Metadata Standard for Geospatial
Standardisation
Information (IS 16439: 2016, BIS)
Open Geospatial Consortium Processes
Data Exchange Standard for Geospatial
International Organization for Information (IS 16554: 2017, BIS)
Standardisation Processes
14.7 Activity
14.4 National Organisation for Geospatial
14.8 Summary
Standards Development
14.9 Terminal Questions
Bureau of Indian Standards
14.10 References
Bureau of Indian Standards Processes
14.11 Further/Suggested Readings
14.5 International Geospatial Standards:
Examples 14.12 Answers
ISO 19103: Geographic Information —
Conceptual Schema Language

14.1 INTRODUCTION
In the previous unit, you have studied about the geospatial policies providing an overarching
framework for holistic development of the geospatial ecosystem. Also in Unit 12, you have studied
that standard is an important component of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). In this unit,

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you will learn about the Geospatial Standards. Standards play a crucial role in
integrating various types of geographic information, enhancing the effectiveness
of policies and decision-making processes. They constitute a fundamental
aspect of the architectural framework, allowing the discovery, collection,
publication, sharing, storage, combination and application of geographic
information. Moreover, standards facilitate collaborative geospatial information
management across diverse organisations and government levels (ISO-OGC-
IHO, 2022).
In this unit, you will learn about Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and
International Organization for Standard (ISO), responsible for international
geographic information/geomatics standard series development, for e.g., ISO
19100 series creates a framework in which data interchange and service
interoperability can be realized across multiple implementation environments.
Further, you will also learn about the Indian initiatives in the context of
Geospatial Standards led by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). For
example, the Metadata Standard for Geospatial Information e.g. IS 16439
specifies metadata to provide a framework for documenting the spatial data and
declare its content for the users (BIS, 2016) and the Data Exchange Standard
for Geo-information, IS 16554 specifies National Spatial Data Exchange (NSDE)
format (BIS, 2017).

Expected Learning Outcomes_______________________

After studying this unit, you should be able to:
 describe the need for geospatial standards;
 discuss the national and international organizations and processes of
development of geospatial standards; and
 explain national and international geospatial standards.

14.2 NEED FOR GEOSPATIAL STANDARDS

Data is an integral part of a modern growing economy. Geospatial data usage
has become indispensable, permeating various sectors of society and economy.
The ubiquitous use of smart phones and open-access map data platforms has
transformed geospatial services and made them accessible to every citizen.
India is no exception to this phenomenal growth in usage of geospatial data.
With an industry growing rapidly in this domain, there is an increasing need to
use, share, access and disseminate geospatial data. Under this scenario, it is
important to set standards which can harmonize the data exchange processes,
thus increasing data interoperability i.e. diverse datasets to be merged or
aggregated in meaningful ways.
Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is a consortium of experts, provides
standards, which act as the linchpin for geospatial information interoperability,
adopted by numerous organizations worldwide. Let us discuss some key points
of geospatial standards.
Key Points
Standards could be useful for different user groups in different manners (ISO-
OGC-IHO, 2022). The standards are needed for the following reasons:
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 Decision-makers: They require guidance and coordination to comprehend
the advantages of standards and the significance of establishing strategic
objectives to enhance geospatial usage.
 Developers of Interoperable Solutions: They need practical knowledge
regarding the necessary and applicable standards for different scenarios.
They also require methods to access these standards and initiate the crucial
steps for implementing geospatial standards and interoperable solutions.
 Standards users: They must recognise the importance of adhering to
standards and providing feedback for the continuous improvement of
implemented standards.
 Practitioners in the Public and Private Sectors as well as Civil Society:
They need to understand the benefits of working with standardised data.
They should also grasp the reasons behind how things function, enabling
them to share their experiences and success stories related to standards with
others.

14.3 INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND

PROCESSES OF GEOSPATIAL STANDARDS
First let us discuss international organisations for developing geospatial
standards.
14.3.1 Open Geospatial Consortium
Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is a consortium of experts committed to
improving access to geospatial or location information (https://www.ogc.org/). In
the early 1990s, a series of US Federal GIS procurements required the ability to
read a specific vendor's proprietary format, leading to bids from companies.
However, these companies were disqualified due to their inability to read and
write the proprietary format. In response, discussions arose within the GIS
community in 1992 regarding the need for a standardized technology for sharing
GIS data. These discussions eventually culminated in the formation of the Open
GIS Consortium, now known as the Open Geospatial Consortium.
OGC serves as a central hub for technology, innovation, standards, community
and various other resources. Functioning as a neutral ground, OGC fosters
innovation by reducing friction among traditionally competitive organisations. It
offers a platform where individuals can connect with their future team-mates,
take on leadership roles and collaborate as industry partners, facilitating a
collaborative environment for advancement and growth.
The OGC's vision is to shape the future of location technology for the benefit of
society. Their mission is to ensure location information is Findable, Accessible,
Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR). They achieve this through a collaborative
and agile process, incorporating consensus-based open standards, innovation
projects, and partnerships. OGC develops open geospatial standards through a
member-driven consensus process, providing freely accessible standards
without royalties.

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14.3.2 International Organization for Standardisation
International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) stands as a prominent
global entity with 169 national standards bodies as its members. These
organisations actively shape ISO's policies and operations, coming together
annually during the General Assembly to set key strategic objectives. The
General Assembly serves as the ultimate authority, ensuring the alignment of
ISO's initiatives with the diverse needs and interests of its members. Core
governance responsibilities lie with the ISO Council, convening three times a
year, which oversees various bodies reporting to it. Technical standards
development is managed by the Technical Management Board, which
supervises technical committees and ensures the relevance and quality of ISO
standards. Additionally, ISO maintains close affiliations with significant
international bodies such as the World Trade Organisation and the United
Nations, enhancing its global impact and contribution to international trade and
sustainable development goals.(https://www.iso.org/).
ISO/TC 211 Geographic information/Geomatics is the Technical Committee
(TC) of ISO, which aims to establish a structured set of standards for
information concerning objects or phenomena that are directly or indirectly
spatial in nature. Project specification areas under TC 211 are simple features
access; reference models; spatial and temporal schemas; location-based
services; metadata; web feature and map services and classification systems.
Under the direct responsibility of ISO/TC 211, till date 96 standards have been
published and 22 standards are under development.
14.3.3 Open Geospatial Consortium Processes
Through OGC's member-driven consensus process, it creates open geospatial
standards that are freely accessible and without royalties. OGC operates an
agile Research and Development (R&D) lab called the OGC collaborative
solutions and innovation programme. This programme constructs and tests
innovative prototype solutions tailored to the specific use cases of our members
(https://www.ogc.org/about-ogc/).
Since 1994, the OGC has implemented the standard development process
through the following participatory and transparent mechanisms viz.
 Public Domain Working Groups: These are accessible to both members
and non-members, who can actively participate in deliberation of standard
development.
 Open Submission Process: Anyone, regardless of membership status, can
submit change requests and requirements to be considered in the OGC
standards process. The submissions can be made through the OGC's
dedicated portal.
 Transparency in Voting: The outcomes of all OGC document votes and
motions are publicly announced, ensuring transparency in decision-making
processes.
 Inclusivity in Interoperability Experiments: OGC interoperability
experiments, vital testing grounds, can now involve non-member
organisations, broadening collaborative efforts.
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 Public Announcement of Development Activities: All planned standards
development activities are publicly disclosed and draft charters are made
available for public comment, fostering a more inclusive and participatory
approach.
 Public Review of Standards Documents: Prior to any approval votes, all
OGC standards documents are released publicly for review and comment,
encouraging input from a wider audience and ensuring comprehensive
scrutiny.
 GitHub Collaboration: Several OGC standards working groups have
adopted GitHub as a collaboration platform. This move allows non-member
developers to access and contribute to candidate standards that are in
progress, promoting collaborative development and inclusivity in the
standardisation process.
Fig. 14.1 depicts the various steps of review and approval under OGC process
for public release of a complete standard. The OGC Naming Authority (OGC-
NA) controls the assignment of OGC names to resources of interest in
geographic information infrastructures. The OGC Architecture Board (OAB)
mission is to provide a forum within which consortium wide standards
architecture issues can be discussed and deliberated with the intent of providing
guidance and recommendations to the TC and the Planning Committee on
these issues (Reed et al., 2015).

Fig. 14.1: Standard roadmap under OGC. SWG: Standards Working Group; OAB:
OGC Architecture Board; OGC-NA: OGC Naming Authority; TC:
Technical Committee; PC: Planning Committee. (Source:
https://www.ogc.org/standards/roadmap/).

14.3.4 International Organization for Standardization

Processes
Every ISO standard is developed through specific project of various required
duration viz. 18, 24 or 36 months consisting of predefined stages as depicted in
Fig. 14.2 (ISO, 2023).

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Fig. 14.2: Defined stages under the development process for ISO standards.

Let us discuss these stages in details.

i) Proposal Stage: In this initial phase, the necessity for a new international
standard in the specific subject area is determined, adhering to the global
relevance policy. A new work item proposal is presented to the committee
for voting via Form 4, utilising the electronic balloting portal. The nominated
project leader's name is specified on the form. Any potential issues related
to copyright, patents or conformity assessment should be raised at this early
stage to address complications.
ii) Preparatory Stage: Typically, a working group is established by the parent
committee to create the working draft. This group comprises experts and a
convenor, usually the project leader. Throughout this phase, experts remain
vigilant for copyright, patents, and conformity assessment concerns. Iterative
working drafts can be circulated until the experts are content that they have
devised the best solution possible. The draft is then forwarded to the
working group's parent committee, which decides the subsequent stage,
either committee stage or enquiry stage.
iii) Committee Stage: At this stage, the draft from the working group is shared
with the members of the parent committee. If this stage is utilized, the
committee draft is distributed to the committee members for feedback
through the Electronic Balloting Portal. Iterative committee drafts can be
circulated until consensus is achieved on the technical content.
iv) Enquiry Stage: The Draft International Standard (DIS) is submitted to the
ISO Central Secretariat by the Committee Manager, then circulated to all
ISO members. Members have 12 weeks to vote and provide comments.
Approval of the DIS requires a two-thirds majority of the permanent
members of the TC/SC in favour and no more than one-quarter of the total
votes cast being negative. If approved without technical changes, the project
proceeds directly to publication. However, if technical alterations are made,
the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) stage becomes obligatory.
v) Approval Stage: This stage is automatically bypassed if the DIS is
approved without technical changes. However, if technical modifications are
incorporated after DIS-stage comments, the FDIS stage becomes
necessary. During this stage, the FDIS is submitted to ISO/Central
Secretariat and circulated to all ISO members for an 8-week vote. Approval
requires a two-thirds majority of the permanent members of the TC/SC in
favour and no more than one-quarter of the total votes cast being negative.

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vi) Publication Stage: In this final stage, the secretary submits the final
document for publication via the Submission Interface. If the standard has
undergone the Approval stage, the manager may submit the project leader’s
responses to member body comments on the FDIS. Only editorial
corrections are made to the final text, and the ISO Central Secretariat
publishes it as an International Standard.

14.4 NATIONAL ORGANISATION FOR

GEOSPATIAL STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT
In India, Bureau of Indian Standards is developing geospatial standard. Let us
discuss it.
14.4.1 Bureau of Indian Standards
In the final years of British rule in India, when the nation faced the immense
challenge of developing its industrial infrastructure, the Institution of Engineers
(India) played a pivotal role. It drafted the initial constitution for an organisation
tasked with formulating national standards. This effort led to the Department of
Industries and Supplies officially establishing the Indian Standards Institution
(ISI) on September 3, 1946. The ISI was officially founded on January 6, 1947.
On April 1, 1987, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) was established through
a parliamentary act dated November 26, 1986. This transition aimed to foster a
culture of quality and awareness, encouraging increased consumer participation
in the formulation and implementation of national standards (BIS, 2023).
BIS operates as a Body Corporate, comprising 25 members representing
Central and State governments, Members of Parliament, industry professionals,
scientific institutions, consumer organisations and professional bodies. As
India's National Standard Body, BIS is responsible for harmonizing
standardization activities, marking and quality certification of goods. The
organization contributes significantly to the national economy by ensuring the
safety and reliability of goods, minimizing health risks for consumers, promoting
exports and substituting imports and controlling the proliferation of varieties
through standardization, certification and testing.
14.4.2 Bureau of Indian Standards Processes
The main processes of BIS are listed below:
 BIS is involved in formulating Indian Standards across diverse sectors. These
sectors are Chemicals, Civil Engineering, Electronics and Information
Technology (IT), Electro-technical, Food and Agriculture, Mechanical
Engineering, Management and Systems, Medical Equipment and Hospital
Planning, Metallurgical Engineering, Petroleum Coal and Related Products,
Production and General Engineering, Services Sectors, Transport
Engineering, Textile, and Water Resources.
 Each sector has a dedicated Division Council overseeing its work, with
various Sectional Committees under each Division Council for e.g.,
Electronics and IT Division Council (LITDC) handles the Electronics and IT
Industry which includes the geospatial industry. Each of such Sectional
Committee is authorised to establish Technical Committees, Panels and
Working Groups to support its functions.

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 Proposals for establishing, revising, amending or canceling standards can be
submitted in writing by any Ministry of the Central Government, State
Governments, Union Territory Administrations, Consumer Organisations,
Industrial Units, Industry-Associations, Professional Bodies, Members of the
Bureau and its Technical Committees.
 The formulation of standards on a specific subject commences when the
concerned Division Council after deliberations or consultation with relevant
stakeholders, recognises the need for standardisation.
 Once the necessity for standardisation is established, the Division Council
assigns the task to an appropriate Technical Committee or forms a new one
for this purpose.
 If a request for a specific standard is declined after careful consideration, the
proposer is duly informed of the decision.
 A draft standard approved by the Sectional Committee is circulated widely for
a minimum period of one month among concerned parties for critical review
and suggestions. Exceptions to wide circulation may occur in urgent or non-
controversial matters decided by the Sectional Committee.
 The appropriate Technical Committee finalises the draft standard considering
received comments. The draft is then submitted to the Chairman of the
relevant Division Council for adoption.
 Periodic reviews are conducted for all established standards at least once in
5 years with revisions or withdrawals made if necessary. Standards requiring
no changes are reaffirmed by the Sectional Committee.
 Geospatial Industry falls under the Electronics and IT Division Council
(LITDC). Under which there is a Technical Committee (LITD 22) which deals
with geospatial Industry standards. Objectives of the LITD 22 are: a) to
formulate National Standards in the field of Geospatial Information and b) act
as National Mirror Committee for ISO/TC 211.
Till date LITD-22 has developed two Indigenous standards and adopted eight
ISO standards as given in the Table 14.1.
Table 14.1: Indian Standards framed/co-branded by LITD-22, BIS. (Source:
BIS)

Indigenous Standards developed in India ISO Standards

adopted
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Currently, there are five Technical Committees working for development of Data
Content Standards on Geology, Soil, Forestry, LiDAR, Cadastral Data Content
Standards and Navigation with Indian Constellation receivers’ standard together
with revision of IS 16439.

SAQ I
a) Why are geospatial standards crucial for decision-makers, developers and
practitioners in geospatial industry?
b) What are the key roles of OGC and ISO in shaping geospatial standards?

14.5 INTERNATIONAL GEOSPATIAL

STANDARDS: EXAMPLES
You have read about national organization for geospatial standards
development in the previous section. In this section, we will discuss some ISO
standards pertaining to geospatial information. Before discuss these standards,
it is important for you to get familiar with the following terminology:
i) Conceptual Schema Language: A Conceptual Schema Language (CSL) is
a formal language used in geospatial information systems to define clear
and precise schemas. These schemas act as the foundation for data
exchange and the establishment of interoperable services. CSL helps in
representing geographic information in a structured manner, ensuring
consistency and compatibility across different systems and applications.
ii) Web Map Service: A Web Map Service (WMS) is a standard protocol for
serving georeferenced map images over the internet. It allows users to
request maps from a server based on geographic coordinates and receive
the maps as images, which can be displayed on various devices such as
web browsers or mobile applications. WMS enables dynamic generation of
maps from spatially referenced data providing a standardised way to access
and display maps online.
iii) Application Schema: It is a conceptual schema designed to meet the data
needs of specific applications or user communities. It defines the content
and structure of data specifying features and their properties within a
particular application field. Application schemas provide a structured
representation of data, enabling automated data management and ensuring
a common understanding of the data among users and systems.
iv) Geography Markup Language: Geography Markup Language (GML) is an
XML-based encoding standard for geographic information and geospatial
services. GML is used to describe geographical features and their
relationships allowing the exchange and storage of geographic data in a
machine-readable format. It provides a framework for representing both the
spatial and non-spatial properties of geographic features, facilitating
interoperability and data sharing among different GIS systems and
applications.

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v) Unified Modelling Language: The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a
graphical language for visualising, specifying, constructing and
documenting the artifacts of a software-intensive system (Gogolla, 2009).
UML offers a standard way to write a system’s blueprints including
conceptual things such as business processes and system functions as well
as concrete things such as programming language statements, database
schemas and reusable software components.
vi) Object Constraint Language: The Object Constraint Language (OCL) is
formal language used to describe expressions on UML models (OMG,
2014). These expressions typically specify invariant conditions that must
hold for the system being modeled or queries over objects described in a
model. UML modelers can use OCL to specify application-specific
constraints in their models. UML modelers can also use OCL to specify
queries on the UML model, which are completely programming language
independent.
vii) Extensible Markup Language: The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is
an encoding standard that assists in the creation, retrieval and storage of
documents (CDRH, 2023). It consists of a tag structure that identifies
specific information within a document. XML utilises the concepts of tags,
elements and attributes for encoding text.
viii) Schema: In general, a schema is an abstract representation of an object's
characteristics and relationship to other objects (ISO, 2007). An XML
schema represents the relationship between the attributes and elements of
an XML object, for e.g., a document or a portion of a document.
Let us discuss some ISO standards pertaining to geospatial information of the
international organization for standardization
14.5.1 ISO 19103: Geographic Information—Conceptual
Schema Language
The standardization of geographic information necessitates the utilization of a
formal Conceptual Schema Language (CSL) to define clear and precise
schemas (Fig. 14.3). These schemas act as the foundation for data exchange
and the establishment of interoperable services. A key objective of the ISO
19100 series is to establish a framework enabling data interchange and service
interoperability across diverse implementation environments. The ISO 19103
provides guidelines and rules for applying CSL within the framework of
geographic information. The consistent adoption of a CSL is crucial in realising
this objective.
This Technical Specification addresses two essential aspects:
● Firstly, it involves the selection of an appropriate CSL that fulfills the rigorous
requirements for representing geographic information. This specification
identifies the UML static structure diagram, coupled with the OCL and a set
of basic data type definitions as the conceptual schema language for
specifying geographic information.
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● Secondly, this document offers guidelines on how UML should be employed
to develop standardised models of geographic information and services.
These models serve as the foundation for achieving interoperability goals.

Fig. 14.3: From reality to conceptual schema, based on a conceptual formalism

and conceptual schema language. (Source: modified after ISO, 2015a)

14.5.2 ISO 19109: Geographic information — Rules for

Application Schema
Conceptual schemas are integrated into application schemas which define the
structure of geographic data processed by computer systems. Thus, an
application schema is a conceptual schema designed to cater to the data needs
of one or more applications (Fig. 14.4). It outlines the following aspects:
 content and structure of data; and
 specifications of operations for manipulating and processing data by an
application.
The purpose of an application schema serves a dual function:
 Computer-readable data description: It provides a structured data
representation that enables automated data management mechanisms.
 Common and correct understanding of data: By documenting the
specifics of data within a particular application field, it ensures a shared and
accurate comprehension of the data. This clarity enables unambiguous
retrieval of information from the dataset.
This International Standard establishes guidelines for creating and documenting
application schemas. It includes principles for defining features. A feature is an
abstraction of real-world phenomena (ISO 19101) which may occur as a type or
an instance.
The standard covers the following areas:
 Conceptual modeling: It involves defining features and their properties from
a universe of discourse
 Application schema definition.

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 Use of conceptual schema language: It utilizes a language to articulate
application schemas.
 Transition from conceptual model to application schema data types, in other
word guides the shift from conceptual ideas to specific data types in the
application schema. Data type is specification of a value domain with
operations allowed on values in this domain (ISO 19103)
 Integration of standardized schemas: It incorporates schemas from other
ISO geographic information standards into the application schema.
The rules within this international standard are employed by both suppliers and
users of geographic data during data transfer or interchange. They are utilized
to:
 Construct a transfer application schema: This schema facilitates the
exchange of data between different systems.
 Interpret semantics: It helps in understanding the meaning of transferred
datasets concerning the user's local data, ensuring compatibility with the
content and structure of data.
 Determine necessary transformations: It guides the process of
transforming data between different datasets as needed.

Fig. 14.4: From reality to conceptual schema, based on a conceptual formalism

and conceptual schema language. (Source: modified after ISO, 2015b)

Additionally, these rules aid users with similar data requirements in creating a
common application schema. This common schema facilitates smooth
communication between the systems and data.

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14.5.3 ISO 19128: Geographic Information — Web Map
Server Interface
A Web Map Service (WMS) generates maps dynamically using spatially
referenced data from geographic information. In ISO 19128, a map is defined as
a digital image file that represents geographic information and is suitable for
display on a computer screen. It is important to note that a map itself is not the
data. Maps produced by WMS are typically rendered in formats like PNG, GIF
or JPEG and sometimes as vector-based graphics in Scalable Vector Graphics
(SVG) or Web Computer Graphics Metafile (WebCGM) formats.
This standard outlines three key operations viz. i) retrieves service-level
metadata, ii) provides a well-defined map with specified geographic and
dimensional parameters, and iii) an optional third operation supplies information
about specific features displayed on a map. These WMS operations can be
executed using a standard web browser by sending requests in the form of
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).
ISO 19128 pertains to a WMS that focuses on its ability to generate maps rather
than accessing specific data holdings (Fig. 14.5). A basic WMS organises its
geographic information into "Layers" and provides a finite set of predefined
"Styles" for displaying these layers.

Fig. 14.5: Web Map Service Interface. (Source: modified after ISO, 2005)

14.5.4 ISO 19136: Geographic information — Geography

Markup Language
A geographic feature is essentially an abstraction of a real-world phenomenon
defined by its association with a specific location on Earth (ISO, 2007). In digital
terms, the real world can be represented as a collection of these features. Each
feature possesses a set of properties, where each property is represented as a
(name, type, value). The number and types of properties a feature can have are
determined by its type definition. Specifically, geographic features with geometry
are those that possess properties represented as geometry values.
A feature collection, on the other hand, is a grouping of features that can be
considered a feature in itself. Consequently, a feature collection has its own
feature type and may have distinct properties in addition to the features it
contains. In the context of Geography Markup Language (GML), geographic
features encompass coverages and observations as specific subtypes.
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GML serves as an XMLencoding method designed for the transport and storage
of geographic information (CDRH, 2023)). It adheres to the conceptual modeling
framework outlined in the ISO 19100 series, encompassing both the spatial and
non-spatial properties of geographic features. This specification outlines the
XML Schema syntax, mechanisms and conventions with the following
objectives:
 Provide an open, vendor-neutral framework: It allows for the definition of
geospatial application schemas and objects without favoring any particular
vendor.
 Support profile creation: It enables the creation of profiles that encompass
specific subsets of GML framework descriptive capabilities.
 Facilitate domain-specific schemas: It supports the description of
geospatial application schemas tailored for specialized domains and
information communities.
 Enable linked geographic application schemas and datasets: It
empowers the creation and maintenance of linked geographic application
schemas and datasets for comprehensive data organization.
 Support storage and transport: It facilitates the storage and transport of
both application schemas and datasets.
 Enhance sharing capabilities: It increases the ability of organizations to
share geographic application schemas and the corresponding information
they describe, fostering collaboration and interoperability.

14.6 INDIAN GEOSPATIAL STANDARDS

Now we will see a few geospatial standards of BIS.

14.6.1 Metadata Standard for Geospatial Information (IS

16439: 2016, BIS)
This Indian Standard was developed by National Spatial Data Infrastructure
(NSDI) and adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards. This standard outlines
metadata requirement to establish a framework for documenting spatial data
and specifying its content for users. It simplifies the process of locating spatial
data based on user requirements and determining its suitability for specific
applications. These metadata standards enable the description of datasets,
aiding in comprehending the data's uses and limitations when shared among
organisations. They serve as a guide to understanding the dataset schema,
detailing information about the data and its distribution. This includes clearly
indicating mandatory and optional fields.
14.6.2 Data Exchange Standard for Geospatial
Information (IS 16554: 2017, BIS)
This standard establishes a unified system for accessing spatial data generated
and managed by various agencies in the country. The agreement among data
providers to share their datasets and make them accessible in an accepted
standard format necessitates the development of Data Exchange Standards for
Digital Vector Data (DVD). While individual domain servers can tailor their

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database designs and implementations based on their specific Software and
Hardware requirements, the exchange mechanism must remain open and
neutral, not tied to any specific platform. Consequently, the development of a
National Exchange Format becomes crucial in this context. This standard
incorporates the DVD-1 format and adapts it to current needs, making it
compatible with an open Geographical Information System platform in the
future.
This standard specifies National Spatial Data Exchange (NSDE) format
developed by NSDI for catering the need of point, line and polygon topology,
digital elevation model and coded raster data. This format also accommodates
various types of thematic data sets along with the associated attribute data in
tabular form. This standard is to be supplemented by individual domain servers
by development of to and fro data converters for supply of data to users and for
accepting data from other domain servers describing relationships among
spatial features. It has the provision to include digital images acquired by
satellites.
Continuous assessment of such standards is vital to keep pace with
technological advancements and changing user environments. It is anticipated
that this standard will enhance the utilization of geospatial data in the country
and minimize redundancy in spatial data generation efforts.

SAQ II
a) List four geospatial standards of ISO.
b) Name various geospatial standards of BIS.

14.7 ACTIVITY
Create a comparative list of matching steps between ISO, OGC and BIS
geospatial standard formulation process.

14.8 SUMMARY
Let us summarize what you have read in this unit:
 The ubiquitous use of smart phones and open-access map data platforms
has transformed geospatial services, making location-based information
accessible to the masses.
 Geospatial standards are crucial for decision-makers, developers, and
practitioners, ensuring consistency, interoperability, and accurate data
exchange.
 International organizations like Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC),
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and national body such
as the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) play a critical role in shaping the
geospatial data availability and accessibility landscape.
 OGC is the technical organization, which through a member-driven
consensus process develops open geospatial standards, ensuring
accessibility and interoperability.

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 Block 4 Geospatial Data Policy and Standards
…………………………………………………………………….………………………………………
 ISO provides a structured approach to standardization, defining clear stages
from proposal to publication, ensuring a robust framework for global
standards in geospatial technology through consensus building.
 In India, BIS is the apex body for establishing standards that enhance the
utilization of geospatial data.
 Standards developed indigenously like IS 16439:2016 for metadata and IS
16554:2017 for data exchange provide structured frameworks for
documenting spatial data, improving accessibility, reducing redundancy and
ensuring compatibility across diverse GIS platforms.
 BIS also adopts many standards developed by ISO in the Indian context.
 OGC and ISO alongside national bodies like BIS contribute significantly to
shaping these standards, fostering global collaboration and advancing
geospatial technology for the benefit of society.

14.9 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. Discuss steps of OGC and ISO standard formulation processes.
2. What are the processes involved in standard formulation under BIS?
3. Describe ISO 19109 standard.

14.10 REFERENCES
 BIS (2016) Metadata Standard for Geospatial Information, IS 16439: 2016.
Technical Committee: LTD 22, Bureau of Indian Standards, Manak Bhavan,
Govt. of India, New Delhi.
 https://standardsbis.bsbedge.com/BIS_SearchStandard.aspx?Standard_Nu
mber=S04V22&id=subdiv
 BIS (2017) Data Exchange Standard for Geospatial Information, Indian
Standard, IS 16554: 2017. Technical Committee: LTD 22, Bureau of Indian
Standards, Manak Bhavan, Govt. of India, New Delhi.
 https://standardsbis.bsbedge.com
/BIS_SearchStandard.aspx?Standard_Number=S04V22&id=subdiv
 BIS (2023) Bureau of Indian Standards. Manak Bhavan, Govt. of India, New
Delhi. https://www.bis.gov.in/the-bureau/origin-of-bis/
 CDRH (2023) What is XML? Centre for Digital Research in the Humanities,
University of Nebraska–Lincoln. https://cdrh.unl.edu/articles/basicguide/XML
 Gogolla, M. (2009). Unified Modeling Language. Encyclopedia of Database
Systems, Springer, Boston, USA.
 ISO (2005) Geographic information — Web Map Server interface, ISO
reference number: 19128. https://www.iso.org/standard/32546.html
 ISO (2007) ISO/TC 211 Geographic information/Geomatics, Geography
Markup Language, ISO 19136.
https://committee.iso.org/sites/tc211/home/projects/projects---complete-
list/iso-19136-1.html

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Unit 14 Geospatial Standards
…………………………….…………………………………….………………………………………..
 ISO (2015a) Geographic information—Conceptual schema language, ISO
reference number: 19103. https://www.iso.org/standard/56734.html
 ISO (2015b) Geographic information — Rules for application schema, ISO
reference number: 19109. https://www.iso.org/standard/59193.html
 ISO (2023) Stages and resources for standards development.
https://www.iso.org/stages-and-resources-for-standards-
development.html#:~:text=The%20Draft%20International%20Standard%20(
DIS,used%20to%20submis%20the%20draft).
 ISO-OGC-IHO (2022). A guide to the role of standards in geospatial
information management. http://standards.unggim.ogc.org/
 OMG (2014), Object Constraint Language, Version 2.4, Object Management
Group, Document Number: formal/2014-02-03.
 Reed, C., Buehler, K., McKee, L. (2015) OGC consensus: how successful
standards are made. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
4(3):1693-1706.
 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4031693.
 https://www.omg.org/spec/OCL/2.4/PDF
 https://www.ogc.org/
 https://www.iso.org/structure.html
 https://www.iso.org/about-us.html
 https://www.ogc.org/about-ogc/
 https://www.ogc.org/standards/roadmap/

14.12 FURTHER/SUGGESTED READINGS

 OGC-ISO-IHO (2015) A guide to the role of standards in geospatial
information management. Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), International
Organization for Standards (ISO) and International Hydrographic
Organization (IHO), pp 1-30.
 https://ggim.un.org/documents/standards%20guide%20for%20unggim%20-
%20final.pdf
 OS (2021) Why do geospatial data standards matter? Ordnance Survey.
 https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/insights/why-do-geospatial-data-
standards-matter)
 FGDC Geospatial Standards. https://www.fgdc.gov/standards/list.

14.12 ANSWERS
SAQ I
a) Geospatial standards are crucial for decision-makers, developers and
practitioners in the geospatial industry because they provide guidelines for
data exchange, ensuring consistency, compatibility, and interoperability.
These standards enable informed decision-making, facilitate the

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 Block 4 Geospatial Data Policy and Standards
…………………………………………………………………….………………………………………
development of interoperable solutions, and enhance collaboration among
practitioners.
b) OGC plays a vital role in shaping geospatial standards by technically
developing and promoting open standards that ensure interoperability and
accessibility of geospatial data and services. Similarly, ISO sets international
standards for geospatial information, ensuring consistency and compatibility
globally through consensus process. ISO establishes specific guidelines,
frameworks and protocols, ensuring that geospatial standards are
recognized and adopted worldwide.

SAQ II
a) The four geospatial standards of ISO are: i) ISO 19103: Geographic
Information—Conceptual Schema Language, ii) ISO 19109: Geographic
information — Rules for Application Schema, iii) ISO 19128: Geographic
Information — Web Map Server Interface and iv) ISO 19136: Geographic
information — Geography Markup Language.
b) BIS has developed two geospatial standards namely, Metadata Standard for
Geospatial Information (IS 16439) and Data Exchange Standard for
Geospatial Information (IS 16554).

Terminal Questions
1. Please refer to subsections13.3.3 and 13.3.4.
2. Please refer to subsection 14.4.1.
3. Please refer to subsection 14.5.2.

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 Glossary
Bureau of Indian : Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is an India’s national
Standards standard body that is responsible for harmonising
standardisation activities, marking and quality certification
of goods.
Conceptual Schema : It is a formal language used in geospatial information
Language systems to define clear and precise schemas.
Crowdsourcing : It refers to the practice of getting information into a task by
enlisting the services of a large number of people via the
internet.
Database Server : It is used to store and manage databases that are stored
on the server and to provide data access for authorized
users.
Data : It refers to the internal consistency of data based on
standardisation predefined rules.
Decision-makers : These are a group of persons who make important
decisions.
Extensible Markup : It is an encoding standard that assists in the creation,
Language retrieval and storage of documents.
Geography Markup : It is an XML-based encoding standard for geographic
Language information and geospatial services.
International : It is a prominent global entity that develops international
Organization for standards and ensures that the products and services you
Standardisation use are safe, reliable and of quality.
Metadata : It is defined as the data providing information about one or
more aspects of the data.
National : The policy is aimed to nurture and develop the geospatial
Geospatial Policy, ecosystem of the country to encourage spatial thinking,
2022 generate and promote knowledge, strengthen
infrastructure and services of geospatial data and also
boost geospatial entrepreneurship for socio-economic
development of the nation.
Open Geospatial : It is a consortium of experts, provides standards, which act
Consortium as the linchpin for geospatial information interoperability,
adopted by numerous organisations worldwide.
Spatial Data : It is a framework to facilitate and coordinate the availability
Infrastructure and access of spatial data between stakeholders at all
levels of governance.
Unified Modelling : It is a graphical language for visualising, specifying,
Language constructing and documenting the artifacts of a software-
intensive system.

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Web Map Service : It is a standard protocol for serving georeferenced map
images over the internet.
Web Server : A web server is a combination of software and hardware
that uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and other
protocols to respond to client requests made over the
World Wide Web.

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