# Presentation: 277329

## Standards for Geographic Information and Services

- Status and Overview of Relevant Standards and their Implementation
- Douglas Nebert, GSDI/FGDC

## Why Geo Standards?

- Standardization lets peers communicate
- Minimizes cost of uptake of new information
- Maximizes utility and stability of information products
- Permits more applications to operate under known conditions

## Roles of Consensus Organizations

**ISO** provides general purpose standards and specifications as guidance to implementation
**Industry Consortia** provide technical implementation specifications
**National/Community groups** define common practices, content, and interaction within and outside the group

## Introduction to Standardization Organizations

- Many standardization activities exist with different roles and responsibilities that are relevant to implementing SDIs:
- International Organisation of Standardization (ISO TC 211, TC 204, JTC-1)
- World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
- OpenGIS Consortium (OGC)
- National Standards Organizations

## Geospatial Standardization

**GSDI**

## Interactions

- ISO

- TC 211

- TC 204

- JTC-1

**National **
**Standards**
**Organizations**

**Adopter/**
**Implementer Community**

**OpenGIS**
**Consortium**
**(OGC)**

**World Wide**
**Web Consortium**
**(W3C)**

**Internet Engineering **
**Task Force (IETF)**

**Facilitation Bodies**

-  GSDI
-  ANZLIC
-  PCGIAP
-  FGDC
-  PC-IDEA
-  INSPIRE
-  GeoConnections
-  CODI/UNECA
-  AGI
-  ...

**Notes:**
I18N is W3C Internationalization Activity

## Community Coordination

- Regional and State coordination groups provide a forum for selection and information on building a consistent network of solution
- National coordination bodies provide a forum for agreement on the common adoption of a suite of standards and practices that as a whole will function as a *Spatial Data Infrastructure*
- The Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) initiative seeks to promote compatible SDIs worldwide

## ISO Technical Committee 211...

- ... has the objective to develop a family of international standards that will:
- support the understanding and usage of geographic information
- increase the availability, access, integration, and sharing of geographic information, enable inter-operability of geospatially enabled computer systems
- contribute to a unified approach to addressing global ecological and humanitarian problems
- ease the establishment of geospatial infrastructures on local, regional and global level
- contribute to sustainable development

## TC-211 Primary Member List

- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Canada
- China
- Czech Rep.
- Denmark
- Finland
- Germany
- Hungary

- Italy
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
- Malaysia
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Portugal
- Russian Federation

- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
**United States of America**
- Yugoslavia

## ISO TC211 Work Items

## Relevant ISO TC 211 standards

-  19109 Rules for Application Schema
-  19110 Methodology for Feature Cataloguing
-  19115 Metadata (Data)
-  19119 Services (Metadata)
-  19128 Web Map Services (WMS)
-  19138 Geography Markup Language (GML)

## Problem: The ability to exchange software and data models between software development (CASE) systems and data in a system-and vendor-neutral manner
Solution: Unified Modeling Language (UML)
Evidence: Support by software design and CASE environment, ISO TC 211 endorsed conceptual schema language

- Solution: Unified Modeling Language (UML)
- Evidence: Support by software design and CASE environment, ISO TC 211 endorsed conceptual schema language

## What is UML?

- Unified Modeling Language
- UML is an industry standard language for visualizing, specifying, constructing, and documenting artifacts of a software-intensive system
- Platform-neutral environment for abstract modeling of data and processes
- Adopted as ***the*** Conceptual Schema Language for ISO TC 211

**Notes:**
Core message -- second bullet
UML can be used to communicate system and software design throughout the life cycle

## UML Concepts

- A community standard led by the Object Management Group (OMG)
- The UML may be used to:
- Model a system & its major functions using use cases and actors
- Illustrate use case realizations with interaction diagrams
- Represent a static structure of a system using class diagrams
- Model the behavior of objects with state transition diagrams

**Notes:**
The last set of slides briefly introduces most of the UML notations.   

NOTE:  Not all notations are covered due to time constraints 

## UML Diagrams

## UML Class Diagram

## World Wide Web Consortium

- Mission: *“to lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability.”*
- A _Recommendation_ is work that represents consensus within W3C and has the Director's stamp of approval. W3C considers that the ideas or technology                     specified by a Recommendation are appropriate for widespread deployment and promote W3C's mission.
- Such specifications developed within W3C must be formally approved by the Membership. Consensus is reached after a specification has proceeded through the review stages of Working Draft, Proposed Recommendation, and Recommendation.

## W3C Contributions

- HTML
- HTTP
- PNG
- SOAP/XMLP
- SVG
- URI/URL
- XHTML
- XLink

- XML
- XML Query
- XML Schema
- XPath
- XPointer
- XSL and XSLT
- CSS
- DOM

**Notes:**
Hypertext Markup Language
HyperText Transport Protocol
Portable Network Graphics
Simple Object Access Protocol
XML Protocol
Scalable Vector Graphics
Uniform Resource Identifier/Uniform Resource Locator
XHTML
Xlink
eXtensible Markup Language
Xpath: system to navigate through XML documents and perform operations
Xpointer: allows elements to be inserted into XML documents in order to create and describe links between resources
XSL: XML Style Language
XSLT: XML Style Language Transformation
CSS: Cascading style sheets
DOM: Document Object Model

## Problem: The inability to express a common format and support it with widely available software parsing tools
Solution: XML and XML-Schema provide the context and structure to support encoding of many types of information. XSLT permits the easy transformation of XML
Evidence: Implemented by hundreds of software products and solutions providers

- Solution: XML and XML-Schema provide the context and structure to support encoding of many types of information. XSLT permits the easy transformation of XML
- Evidence: Implemented by hundreds of software products and solutions providers

## XML 1.0

- eXtensible Markup Language is a partial subset of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML: ISO 8879:1988)
- Intended to store the structure and relationship of information in a readily parseable format
- Expressed as characters, though element contents can also be numbers or links
- Non-Latin character sets are also supported in XML

## What is XML Schema ?

- Another more powerful data description language to assist in validation of XML
- It is more precise than (and replaces) a DTD. It is the workhorse of XML!
- Supports data types and restrictions
- Simple and complex structures

- © Galdos Systems Inc.  April 2002

## SOAP – Simple Object Access Protocol 

- SOAP provides an XML envelope for your message

- “I can deliver your message over HTTP, HTTP/S or SMTP “

- Your message

## What is SOAP ?

-  A messaging protocol: an XML syntax for sending messages over the Internet via HTTP, SMTP, etc.
- W3C work item to move SOAP to the XML Protocol (XMLP)
- Fundamental part of message handling via Microsoft .NET

- © Galdos Systems Inc.  April 2002

## SOAP Design 

- SOAP Message

- HTTP Headers

- SOAP Header

- SOAP Body

- <soap:envelope>
-     <soap:header>
-     </soap:header>
-     <soap:body>
-             XML DATA GOES HERE
-     </soap:body>
- </soap:envelope>

## Why SOAP ?

- Simple, extensible, platform-independent (cf. COM or CORBA)
- Works across firewalls since it is transported over HTTP and HTTP/S.
- Widely supported in commercial tools.
- Many language bindings are available: Java, C++, Python, Perl, etc.

## Vendor-specific Web Services

- Built on SOAP or .net architectures
- Microsoft Terraserver.net and MapPoint .NET solutions for web map interaction
- ESRI ArcWeb SOAP-enabled map interaction and display
*Anyone can implement Web Services, but unless the vocabulary and messages are well-known, interoperability is hindered*

## OpenGIS Consortium

- Focus on interoperability of software at the interface level to promote plug-and-play components for geographic information interchange
- Not-for-profit, international consortium
- 220+ industry, government, NGO and university members

_**OGC Vision**_
**A world in which everyone benefits from****geographic information and services made available ****across any network, application, or platform.**** **
_**OGC Mission**_
**Our core mission is to deliver****spatial interface specifications****that are openly available for global use.**** **

## OGC Specifications

- Simple Features Access (SQL, CORBA, OLE)
**Catalog Services**
- Grid Coverages
- Coordinate Transformation Services
**Web Map Server Interfaces**
**Geography Markup Language**
**Web Feature Service**
- Filter Encoding Specification
- Styled Layer Descriptor
**Web Coverage Service**

## Problem: To make a request for a map from different map services regardless of vendor using the same request language 
Solution: OGC Web Map Server interface
Evidence: Broad commercial implementation as an add-on to proprietary map services

- Solution: OGC Web Map Server interface
- Evidence: Broad commercial implementation as an add-on to proprietary map services

## OGC Web Map Server 1.1.1

- Establishes a common vocabulary for the request and delivery of a raster graphic based on a number of parameters using GET/POST
- Three operations:
**Capabilities**: returns service and layer information
**Map**: returns map based on request arguments
**FeatureInfo**: returns attribute information for the selected feature(s)
- Now supports SLD reference to apply custom style to layer

## Web Browser

## GetMap Request Example:

- http://b-maps.com/map.cgi

- ?WMTVER=

- 1.0.0

- &REQUEST=map&

- SRS=EPSG%3A4326&BBOX=-97.105,24.913,78.794,36.358&

- WIDTH=560&HEIGHT=350&LAYERS=BUILTUPA_1M%3ACubeWerx,

- COASTL_1M%3ACubeWerx,POLBNDL_1M%3ACubeWerx

- &STYLES=0XFF8080,0X101040,BLACK&FORMAT=PNG&BGCOLOR=0xFFFF

- FF&

- TRANSPARENT=FALSE&EXCEPTIONS=INIMAGE&QUALITY=MEDIUM

## Slide 33

## Problem: No vendor-independent way to format vector feature and attribute information for exchange over the Web 
Solution: Geography Markup Language (GML)
Evidence: Commercial implementations and national service implementations (Ordnance Survey, UK)

- Solution: Geography Markup Language (GML)
- Evidence: Commercial implementations and national service implementations (Ordnance Survey, UK)

## Geography Markup Language (GML 2.1.2)

- OGC “Adopted Specification” (GML 2.1.2 currrent) for encoding spatial information.
- A set of XML technologies (schema fragments) for expressing spatial data on the Internet.
- Emerging international standard for spatial data—endorsed by 200 + companies and agencies around the world.
- Propose GML Version 3.0 by early 2003

- © Galdos Systems Inc.  April 2002

## GML: What is it?

- Geographic Data Server

## Feature : named list of properties

- FeatureType (road)

- name

- description

- geometry

- length

- direction

## GML Feature

**GML Feature**

- <exp:Building fid = “st100”>
- 	<exp:noFloors>100</exp:noFloors>
- 	<exp:use>Residential</exp:use>
- 	<exp: surfaceArea>100000</exp:surfaceArea>
- 	<exp: frontsOn>Georgia Street</exp:frontsOn>
- 	<exp:streetNumber>1150</exp:streetNumber>
- 	<gml:locationOf>
- 		<gml:Point srsName = “ ... “>
- 			<gml:coordinates>55661.1454,
- 				454656.67</gml:coordinates>
- 		</gml:Point>
- 	</gml:locationOf>
- </ exp: Building>

- © Galdos Systems Inc.  April 2002

## Problem: No consistent way to request and receive well-known packages of vector information as a Web service
Solution: OGC Web Feature Server provides for request and response of vector data
Evidence: OGC WFS recently approved but beta implementations available from main GIS vendors

- Solution: OGC Web Feature Server provides for request and response of vector data
- Evidence: OGC WFS recently approved but beta implementations available from main GIS vendors

## OGC Web Feature Server 1.0

- Provides discovery and request interfaces for selecting “vector” spatial data and their attributes
- May use OGC Filter Expression or other query language
- Returns “raw” data structures as ASCII, XML, GML
- May support transactional locking

## OGC Web Feature Server

- WFS
- Feature access
- /modification

- App. Server
- Presentation/
- Analysis Client

**OPERATIONS:**
** ****Describe Capabilities**
** ****Describe Feature Schema**
** ****Get a Feature**
** ****Insert a Feature**
** ****Update a Feature**
** ****Delete a Feature**
** ****Modify Feature Schema**
** ****Lock Features**

**OGC Web Feature Server**
**Specifications V 1.0.0)**

- WFS

## Chaining/Stacking OGC Services

- Rendering
-  Map server

- Client
-  Web Browser
-  Application

- Feature Delivery
-  Feature Server

- Application

- Map Server service

** **Feature Server service

- Feature Access
-  Native DBMS

**WMS interface **

**WFS interface **

**SFA interface **

-  Simple Feature Access Server

## Scope of National Solutions

- Content Standards for Fundamental Data
- Feature Type Catalogs
- Standard Data Models for Exchange
- Unique Identifiers on Features
- Place names (Digital Gazetteer)
- Geodetic Reference Systems
- National Information Profiles of International Standards (ISO)
- Data Policies and Laws

## Conceptual process diagram

- Review
- State and
- E-Gov User
- Requirements

- Target 22+
- e-gov initiatives
- and other e-gov

- Face-to-face
- Town Hall
- Discussions

- Call for business
- requirements of
- portal

- Develop
- consolidated
- use cases

- Compose/
- convene
- 7 MATs

- Extract data
- requirements

- Initial Portal
- Functional
- Design

- Calls for requirements
- and participation

- Extract common
- data
- requirements

- Construct
- Draft Model

- Write draft
- std docs

- Construct
- Draft
- Standard

- Public
- Review

*Under ANSI *
*INCITS L1*

- Vote at
- ANSI INCITS
- L1

- Vote at
- ANSI

- Public
- Review

- FGDC
- Endorsement

*revise*

*revise*

*e.g. transportation*

- Establish
- interface
- to services

- Prototype
- specific
- G2G functions

- Prototype
- map/data
- services

- Finalize
- map/data
- services

*refine*

- Document
- existing and
- planned data

- Service and
- Data
- Clearinghouse

- Augment
- portal
- functionality

*refine*

**Conceptual process diagram**
**of Geospatial OneStop**
** **

*register*

*time (not to scale)*

- Prepare
- Questions,
- Organize

**Portal Team**

**Requirements Team**

**Standards Teams**

## Standardization approach

- Convene subject matter experts with modelers in a facilitated environment to develop a content standard for common themes of data
- Meet under the auspices of the ANSI/INCITS organization to maintain an open and inclusive process

## The Framework Core Data Content Standards...

- Define a well-known package of GIS data in UML with XML representation that can be exchanged without negotiation for immediate use for multiple common uses
- More robust packages can be defined and exchanged by the same approach, but one must support Core at a minimum
- Do *not* define the internal data models used in mission critical systems, only a package for import and export

**Base Standard**

**Transportation**

**Elevation**

**Cadastral**

**Hydrography**

**Governmental **
**Units**

**Orthoimagery**

**Geodetic Control**

- Air

- Rail

- Roads

- Waterways

- Transit

- Source – INCITS/L1

- Framework Standards

**Notes:**
Thematic modules contribute to the Base Standard to establish common content, required elements, for the collection and exchange of NSDI framework themes.  The goal is to decrease costs of acquiring and exchanging framework data for creators and users through the common description of the content of these seven critical themes.  

## Participation and Requirements

- Extract features, identifiers, attributes, and relationships required for each Framework theme from requirements analysis conducted through the participatory process
- Request for participation in process teams:
- Modeling Advisory Team
- Contributor
- Subscriber
- Reviewer

## Generalized Modeling Approach

- Universe of Discourse
- (each of 7 communities)

- Common Community Data
- Transfer in XML-Schema (GML)

**Conceptual**
**Model**

- Feature Model  in UML

**Application**
**Schema**

- Conceptual Model using
- ISO 19118/19103 objects in UML

**Data Transfer**
**Schema**

- Encoded Feature Data in XML

*expert intervention*

*UML-XML encoding transform*

*XML validation*

## Common Elements of Core

- Feature types (classes) included
- Unique feature identifier system
- Basic attributes
- Controlled vocabulary, codes, authorities
- Valid at a range of scales and resolutions
- Multiple representations of same features possible

## Interoperability based on a common data model for data exchange

- Mission
- System 1

- Mission
- System 3

- Mission
- System 2

- API

- export

- import

- API

- export

- import

- API

- Core
- Framework
- Encoding

- Common
- Content
- Model

## Navigating many choices

- Standardization should be a least-cost means of establishing a common means of interaction between participants in a process
- Community facilitators can play a critical role in building consensus on a requirements-based architecture and then specifying the context of relevant standards, specs, and practices to be adopted

## The players

**ISO**

**National**
**Standards**

**Adopter/**
**Implementer Community**

**OpenGIS**
**Consortium**
**(OGC)**

**World Wide**
**Web Consortium**
**(W3C)**

**National**
**Organizations**

**Users**

**NSDI**
**blueprint**

**Policies,**
**Agreements,**
**Technologies**

**Coordination**

## A blueprint for SDI

- Metadata for data and services
- Data content standards (UML models) for exchange of individual data themes
- Data formats for file archiving, download
- Data encoding for the Web (XML/GML)
- OGC Spatial Web Services Specifications:
- Web Map Services
- Web Feature Services
- Draft Gazetteer Profile of WFS (Placename Service)
- Catalog Services (Clearinghouse)

## Activities and Standards in SDI

- Metadata

- Data

**ISO 19115, 19119, 19139**

- National/Intl Content Standards

- Catalog

**OGC Catalog**
**Services**

- Web Services

- Data Services

*Formats*

*Formats*

- OGC
- GML

- W3C
- XML

- SDTS,
- VPF, ...

- User

*Internet*

- ISO Feature Catalog

**Data**
**Production**

**GAZ**

**WMS**

**WFS**

*ftp, CD*

*http*

*http,*
*  **Z39.50*

## Needs and Opportunities

- Informing potential adopters about relevant standards and their implementation
- Promoting a logical architecture for the interaction of standards-based systems
- Building and sharing common feature catalogs, data content, and data exchange standards for files and the Web

## Questions? 

- Douglas Nebert
- FGDC Secretariat
- _[ddnebert@fgdc.gov](mailto:ddnebert@fgdc.gov)_
- (703) 648-4151