SIST EN ISO 19115-1:2015 PDF

Overview

EN ISO 19115-1:2014 (ISO 19115-1:2014) specifies the metadata schema and fundamentals for describing geographic information and geographic services. It defines the structure, mandatory/conditional/optional metadata elements, and extension mechanisms needed to document identification, extent, quality, spatial/temporal aspects, content, spatial reference, portrayal, distribution and other properties of digital geographic datasets and web services. Although focused on digital data, the principles can be applied to maps, charts, textual documents and non‑geographic resources.

Key topics and requirements

• Metadata schema and packages: Defines metadata sections, entities and element packages (fundamentals, extent, citation, responsible party, localisation, etc.).
• Mandatory, conditional and optional elements: Specifies a minimum metadata set to support core use cases (data discovery, fitness‑for‑use, access, transfer and reuse) and optional elements for richer descriptions.
• Conformance and testability: Includes conformance requirements and an abstract test suite to validate metadata implementations.
• Multilingual and localisation support: Guidance for language and character set handling for free text fields.
• Extension and profiling: Methodology for extending the schema to meet domain‑specific needs without breaking interoperability.
• Implementation guidance: Annexes providing a data dictionary, extension/profile mechanisms, XML examples and discovery metadata recommendations.

Practical applications

EN ISO 19115-1:2014 is used to:

• Create standardized metadata records for GIS datasets, dataset series, feature collections and web services (WMS, WFS, etc.).
• Populate catalogs and clearinghouses for efficient data discovery and cataloguing.
• Support assessment of data fitness for use through documented quality, lineage and spatial/temporal extent.
• Improve interoperability for data sharing, transfer and reuse across organizations and systems.
• Provide a foundation for domain profiles (e.g., imagery, bathymetry) and for generating machine‑readable metadata (e.g., XML implementations).

Typical users: GIS/data managers, metadata specialists, information system analysts, program planners, software developers, and data custodians who need to document, discover and share geographic resources.

Benefits

• Promotes consistent, interoperable metadata across organizations and countries.
• Enables automated discovery and improved data governance.
• Reduces risk of data misuse by clarifying assumptions, limitations and lineage.

Related standards

• ISO 19115-2 - Extensions for imagery and gridded data (domain extensions).
• ISO 19115-3 (Technical Specification) - XML schema implementation of metadata fundamentals.
• Other ISO/TC 211 standards for quality, spatial schema and services complement ISO 19115-1.

Keywords: ISO 19115-1:2014, geographic information metadata, metadata schema, spatial metadata, data discovery, metadata standards, metadata implementation.