ISO 19115-1:2014/Amd 2:2020

Overview

ISO 19115-1:2014/Amd 2:2020 is an important amendment to the international standard for geographic information metadata fundamentals. Developed by ISO/TC 211 in conjunction with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN/TC 287), this amendment updates and refines the core metadata framework essential for describing geographic data. It aligns metadata standards with recent advancements in spatial referencing and coordinate systems, thereby enhancing interoperability and data sharing in geospatial applications worldwide.

This amendment specifically revises normative references, updates diagrams such as the reference system information classes, and introduces enhanced details related to coordinate reference systems (CRS) and dynamic coordinate epochs. ISO 19115-1 serves as a cornerstone for geospatial metadata standards which support effective discovery, identification, and use of geographic data and services.

Key Topics

• Metadata Fundamentals
  ISO 19115-1 provides the foundational principles governing the description of geographic information and services through metadata. This ensures consistent documentation and facilitates data exchange and reuse.

• References to Spatial Referencing
  Amendment 2 replaces earlier versions of ISO 19111 standards with the consolidated and updated ISO 19111:2019. This enhances the way spatial referencing by coordinates is described within metadata, ensuring precise georeferencing.

• Coordinate Reference System (CRS) Information
  Detailed schema for CRS metadata includes identifiers (e.g., EPSG::4326), full coordinate reference system descriptions, and related data epochs for dynamic systems. These updates improve the accuracy and clarity of spatial referencing in metadata records.

• Reference System Information Classes
  The amendment updates Figure 12, presenting the structure of reference system information classes, which organize key spatial referencing concepts such as identifiers, CRS descriptions, coordinate epochs, and system types.

• Data Epoch Management
  Support for dynamic coordinate reference systems is enhanced with inclusion of coordinate epochs, important for referencing datasets with time-variant spatial properties.

• Normative References and Conformance
  The amendment clarifies and updates normative references, ensuring consistency with ISO/IEC directives. It also highlights obligations for metadata elements essential for spatial referencing.

Applications

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  Implementation of ISO 19115-1 amendment ensures that GIS data and services include standardized metadata for better interoperability, data integration, and management.

• Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI)
  Enables consistent metadata descriptions across heterogeneous datasets, supporting spatial data sharing amongst government agencies, private sector, and international organizations.

• Environmental Monitoring and Management
  Accurate metadata about spatial referencing improves the reliability of environmental datasets used for monitoring land, water, and atmospheric conditions.

• Cartography and Mapping Services
  Supports detailed metadata for maps and spatial products, aiding in version control, provenance, and usability assessments.

• Research and Academic Institutions
  Facilitates sharing and discovery of spatial datasets in research repositories through standardized metadata.

Related Standards

• ISO 19111:2019 - Geographic information - Referencing by coordinates
  This is the updated standard referenced in Amendment 2 that defines coordinate reference systems and spatial referencing methods.

• ISO 19115 - Geographic information - Metadata (Full series)
  ISO 19115-1 is part of the broader suite of standards focusing on metadata for geographic information.

• ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and Part 2
  Guidelines governing the development, editing, and maintenance of ISO standards and related documents.

Summary

ISO 19115-1:2014/Amd 2:2020 strengthens the foundation for geographic metadata by integrating up-to-date spatial referencing standards and clarifying metadata requirements for coordinate reference systems. It plays a critical role in ensuring that geospatial data is properly documented, enhancing discoverability, quality, and interoperability across various applications in GIS, environmental management, and beyond. Organizations involved in geographic information management are encouraged to adopt the amendments to stay current with international best practices for metadata standards.