ISO/TS 19163-1:2016

Overview

ISO/TS 19163-1:2016 - Geographic information - Content components and encoding rules for imagery and gridded data - Part 1: Content model - defines an encoding‑neutral content model for imagery and regularly spaced gridded thematic data. The Technical Specification classifies datasets by attribute property, sensor type and spatial property, specifies the required content components and minimum metadata for each category, and provides logical data structures and rules for encoding those components. It explicitly excludes LiDAR, SONAR and ungeoreferenced gridded data. Bindings to specific physical formats (e.g., GeoTIFF, HDF‑EOS, NetCDF, JPEG 2000, BIIF) are defined in subsequent parts of ISO 19163.

Key topics and requirements

• Classification of imagery and gridded data by thematic/attribute properties, spatial characteristics and sensor measurand (optical, microwave, SAR, etc.).
• Encoding‑neutral content model that identifies core content components required for each data type (imagery, georectified, georeferenceable, thematic gridded data).
• Logical data structures and encoding rules for mapping content components to machine‑readable structures.
• XML‑based encoding guidance: maps content models to XML/GML encodings following ISO 19118 and ISO 19136 (UML→GML rules); recommends use of GMLCOV for coverage components.
• Minimum metadata required in the header portion of remote sensing products to ensure common understanding and interoperability.
• Conformance and testing: one conformance class per data category; abstract test suite in Annex A.
• Normative data dictionary: content component definitions provided (Annex B).

Applications and users

ISO/TS 19163-1 is practical for organizations and professionals involved in geospatial imagery and gridded data interoperability and exchange:

• GIS and remote sensing software vendors implementing format‑agnostic data models and XML/GML encodings.
• Data providers and cataloguers standardizing product headers and minimum metadata for imagery/gridded products.
• System integrators and data custodians mapping between formats (GeoTIFF, NetCDF, HDF‑EOS, JPEG 2000, BIIF) and ensuring lossless translation of content.
• Remote sensing analysts and standards specialists designing interoperable workflows for optical, microwave and SAR datasets.

Related standards

Key referenced standards and complementary documents:

• ISO 19103 (Conceptual schema language)
• ISO 19111 (Spatial referencing by coordinates)
• ISO 19115‑1 / ISO 19115‑2 (Metadata for geographic and imagery/gridded data)
• ISO 19123 (Coverage schema)
• ISO/TS 19101‑2 (Imagery reference model)
• ISO/TS 19130 (Imagery sensor models for geopositioning)
• ISO/TS 19159‑1 (Calibration/validation for optical sensors)

ISO/TS 19163‑1:2016 is the content‑model foundation for the ISO 19163 series and a practical resource for improving geospatial interoperability for imagery and gridded data.