ISOga

ISOga is a proposed international standard framework aimed at improving interoperability in geospatial data exchange and analytics. It envisions a common data model, a metadata schema, and transport profiles to support consistent handling of geospatial information across diverse systems, including GIS platforms, government datasets, and scientific workflows.

The concept originated from collaboration among ISO member bodies and partners in the geospatial community. Development began in the early 2020s with pilot implementations in national mapping agencies and large-scale disaster response programs. As of 2025, no formal ISO/ga standard has been published, but work continues within ISO technical committees and related industry groups.

Technical overview of ISOga centers on three core components. The ISOga Data Model (IDM) defines feature types, geometry, temporal aspects, and attribute semantics to enable uniform data representation. The ISOga Metadata Schema (IMS) provides discovery, quality, lineage, licensing, and provenance information to support data governance. Transport Profiles specify encodings and packaging formats, including a JSON-based IDM encoding and an XML/RDF packaging option, along with guidance on coordinate reference systems and units. Conformance levels describe mandatory versus recommended metadata and data quality guarantees, enabling tiered adoption.

Applications and impact of ISOga are broad, encompassing cross-organizational data sharing, urban planning, environmental monitoring, disaster management, and climate research. By standardizing schemas and metadata, ISOga aims to reduce data integration costs, improve interoperability, and enhance data quality for analytics and decision-making.

Challenges and governance considerations include achieving consensus on semantics, licensing, and data stewardship models, as well as ensuring tooling and training for widespread adoption. The ISO technical community continues to refine drafts, evaluation guides, and implementation recommendations ahead of formal adoption.

See also: ISO/TC 211, Open Geospatial Consortium, geospatial data standardization.