SIST EN ISO 19109:2025 PDF

Overview - EN ISO 19109:2025 (General Feature Model, GFM)

EN ISO 19109:2025 (ISO 19109:2025) defines the General Feature Model (GFM) as the metamodel for creating application schemas in geographic information modelling. The standard explains the GFM and provides rules for creating and documenting application schemas, including principles for defining feature types and their properties. It supports conceptual modelling, the transition from conceptual concepts to data types, and integration of standardized schemas from other ISO geographic information standards. The standard does not prescribe a single conceptual schema language, specific application schemas, metadata representation, software implementation, or programming practices.

Key Topics and Requirements

• General Feature Model (GFM): A metamodel for feature types, properties and their relationships; central to consistent geo-information modelling.
• Principles for features: Definitions of features, coverages and essential properties that application schemas must consider.
• Attributes and property types: Guidance on attribute categories (spatial, temporal, quality, location, thematic, coverage-function and others) and their intended use.
• Relationships and constraints: Rules for inheritance relations, feature associations, role definitions and constraints to ensure semantic consistency.
• Application schema rules:
  • Use of conceptual schema languages (CSLs) - general rules and conformance guidance.
  • UML-specific guidance for creating UML application schemas.
  • Transition rules from conceptual schema concepts to concrete data types.
  • Integration rules for reusing standardized ISO geographic schemas.
• Conformance classes: Sections covering spatial, temporal, quality, coverages and UML application schema conformance expectations.

Applications and Who Uses It

EN ISO 19109:2025 is practical for:

• GIS data architects and modelers designing consistent application schemas for national, regional or sectoral datasets.
• Standards bodies and data stewards aligning local schemas with international ISO geo-information standards.
• Software vendors and integrators implementing schema-aware tools (conceptual schema validation, schema transformation guidance).
• Data integrators and interoperability specialists needing rules to combine or reuse existing standardized schemas.

Practical benefits include improved semantic interoperability, clearer documentation of feature types and properties, and a standardized pathway from conceptual design to data-type definition.

Related Standards

• Related ISO 19100-series standards commonly used with ISO 19109 include ISO 19103 (Conceptual Schema Language), ISO 19107 (Spatial schema), ISO 19108 (Temporal schema) and ISO 19115 (Metadata). These complement the GFM when building interoperable geographic information application schemas.

Keywords: EN ISO 19109:2025, General Feature Model, GFM, application schema, geographic information, UML application schema, conceptual modelling, ISO 19109.