ISO/IEC 18038:2020

Overview - ISO/IEC 18038:2020 (Sensor representation in mixed and augmented reality)

ISO/IEC 18038:2020 defines a reference framework and information model for representing physical sensors inside 3D mixed- and augmented-reality (MAR/AR) environments. The standard specifies how to model sensors, their physical properties, interfaces and behaviors in a 3D scene, and provides an exchange format (XML schema) for transferring and storing sensor-related data between sensor-based MR applications. It focuses on sensor representation and functional interfaces, not on device‑specific hardware drivers or keyboard/mouse input emulation.

Key technical topics and requirements

• Sensor types covered: camera, chemical, electric, environment, flow, force, light, movement, navigation, particle, position, pressure, proximity, sound, temperature, and others.
• Information model & architecture: concepts, data structures and a system framework for integrating physical sensors with 3D virtual worlds.
• Sensor 3D scene graph: definition of a scene graph that includes physical sensor nodes and their relationships to 3D objects.
• Physical properties & interfaces: standardized descriptions for sensor location/orientation, physical parameters, I/O streaming, events and control interfaces (functional, not hardware bindings).
• XML schema / MAR representation: definitions such as MARScene, MARObject, 3D object/shape types, sensor types and property/interface types to enable interoperability and data exchange.
• Conformance: criteria and conformance areas to ensure interoperable implementations across applications.
• Scope limits: does not define low‑level device drivers or how specific applications implement sensors; excludes simulated input via keyboard/mouse.

Practical applications and who uses this standard

ISO/IEC 18038 is intended for organizations and professionals who build or integrate sensor-enabled MAR/AR systems:

• AR/MR platform and application developers - to model and consume real-world sensor data within virtual scenes.
• System architects and integrators - to design interoperable sensor interfaces and 3D scene integrations.
• Sensor and IoT device manufacturers - to provide standardized metadata and interfaces that ease integration into MAR ecosystems.
• Simulation, training and digital twin providers - to synchronize physical sensors and virtual environments (including GNSS-synced worlds).
• Standards bodies and researchers - for aligning representations across related 3D and sensing standards.

Common use-cases: augmented industrial maintenance (overlaid sensor telemetry), spatial analytics with live sensor feeds, AR navigation tied to position and navigation sensors, and cross‑platform exchange of sensor scene descriptions.

Related standards (context)

ISO/IEC 18038:2020 was developed within ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 24 (computer graphics, image processing and environmental data representation) and complements other 3D graphics, geospatial and AR/MR standards by providing the sensor‑centric information model and XML exchange formats needed for interoperable mixed‑reality applications.

Keywords: ISO/IEC 18038:2020, sensor representation, mixed reality, augmented reality, sensor interface, 3D scene graph, XML schema, MARScene, physical sensors, sensor data exchange.