2 SDI Standards

2.1 Introduction

Standards are essential for underpinning consistent connectivity and user experience within an infrastructure framework. 

Internationally, the notion of a spatial data infrastructure has evolved in jurisdictions with ambitions to improve data quality and access, and achieve interoperability. The geospatial infrastructure concept is comparable to a road infrastructure (consistent road design, driving rules, etc) or telecommunications network (transmission standards, switching, multiple device types, etc). 

Standards are necessary for facilitating robust, open transfer of packages of geographic information between platforms, anywhere, anytime. This is especially true in a varied network of computers that are managing a diverse range of geospatial data stores and data types. 

The vision for New Zealand’s Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), as outlined in the New Zealand Geospatial Strategy6, encompasses a series of goals to improve data quality, access, and interoperability. This will provide a consistent basis for discovery, evaluation, and use of geographic information for everyone; governments, industry, non-profit organisations, academia, and citizens in general. 

New Zealand’s SDI will evolve over time. Initially, the focus is on providing relatively simple functionality and services, but it must also support the growth of more advanced capabilities in the future. 

Open web map services (OGC WMS) will facilitate basic view and query access in the SDI. Some stakeholders, at least initially, will also want to interact with the geographic data made available through the SDI. The best way to achieve this is through web feature services (WFS).

Beyond these basic considerations, an SDI can enable a considerable number of additional open services or software to support applications of geographic information. A fully interoperable SDI will enable advanced applications to discover resources through a catalogue, combine diverse services and geographic data, and automate processes, all in a platform-independent way.

This chapter focuses on entry level standards that are considered essential, but also encourages adoption of other ‘highly desirable’ interoperability specifications for New Zealand’s initial steps toward SDI. 

Some additional components are introduced in this chapter, however advanced components that are found in more highly developed SDI implementations are not covered in this version of the Cookbook.

The New Zealand Geospatial Office (NZGO) can provide supplementary advice on standards, and is very interested to work alongside communities who wish to advance any characteristics of New Zealand’s SDI. The office maintains linkages with geospatial standards bodies, including ISO, OGC, ANZLIC, Standards NZ, etc.

In this section:

Comment via the SDI Cookbook blog post here 

6 http://www.geospatial.govt.nz/geospatial-strategy/

Download Chapter 2 (PDF 83KB)

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