Standards

Standards are an essential foundation that ensures the coherence, compatibility and interoperability necessary to use, combine and share SDI data, services and resources.

It is necessary to distinguish between standards and specifications and to emphasise the importance of regulations and technical guidelines.

Specifications

Defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification (AENOR).

The main standardisation bodies in the field of geographical information are the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and the ISO Technical Committee 211 (ISO/TC 211).

Standards

To facilitate access to and exchange of geographical information on the web, interoperability specifications must be established and followed. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is the body that aligns these specifications to international standards. Examples of OGC specifications on which SDIs are based include:

Regulations and Technical Guidelines

To ensure the interoperability of SDIs, the INSPIRE Directive prescribes regulations and implementing rules for the provision of geospatial web services, metadata and datasets, which are of particular importance when creating and maintaining SDI services.

In Spain, the Higher Geographical Council is the body that promotes and oversees the implementation of the Directive in public institutions. At the regional level, this role falls to the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia.

The integration of local authorities into the SDI network ensures that the geographical information they produce and manage is aligned with INSPIRE standards. This facilitates interoperability and shared use, both locally and with other regional and national bodies.