Common Foundation

Summary

“It is recommended to INSPIRE, GMES and GEOSS to collaborate on establishing a common foundation for data specifications across the initiatives.

In this process,

  • it would be beneficial if general recommendations across the initiatives could be identified,
  • the recommendations should be standards-based, whenever practicable,
  • such recommendations would provide guidance on how the standards should be used or, where necessary, efforts should be made to correct, amend or improve standards,
  • initiative-specific extensions could be specified in the initiatives (for example, the INSPIRE Generic Conceptual Model, could be changed to become an extension of the document capturing cross-initiative recommendations for all data interoperability components),
  • the recommendations should be kept as simple as possible.”

Classification

Category Data harmonisation and semantic interoperability
Identifier REC-DI-001
Type of recommended activity
  • Further investigation about the subject
  • Active collaboration between initiatives
Organisations addressed
  • INSPIRE: Consolidation Team and Drafting Team Data Specifications
  • GEOSS: ADC
  • GMES: GMES In-Situ Coordination project (EEA), fast-track service Implementation Groups, ESA HMA project

Additional information

Context

For cross-initiative data interoperability as identified in scenarios requiring data exchange across initiatives, general agreements and coherence on the following aspects ("data interoperability components") are important:

  • Terminology
  • Reference model
  • Architectural support for data interoperability
  • Rules for application schemas and feature catalogues
  • Application schemas
  • Ontologies
  • Spatial and temporal aspects
  • Coordinate referencing and units of measurement model
  • Identifier management
  • Object referencing
  • Multi-lingual text and cultural adaptability
  • Data transformation model / guidelines
  • Portrayal
  • Maintenance of information about geographic data
  • Publication of information about geographic data
  • Metadata for discovery, evaluation and use
  • Maintenance of data
  • Data & information quality
  • Delivery of data
  • Consistency between data
  • Multiple representations
  • Data capturing rules
  • Conformance
  • Governance
  • Extension points

The scenarios assume that applications are able to understand and handle data accessed from the different initiatives without difficulties. Due to the significant diversity in the data themes and source data sets, this requires a high degree of coherence between the numerous INSPIRE, GMES and GEOSS data sets, both on the semantic and the syntactic level.

Developing software that meets the expectations will require a common foundation for all data specifications capturing a basic set of recommendations for data specifications addressing all the data interoperability components listed above.

Rationale INSPIRE went through a similar process and has developed the INSPIRE Generic Conceptual Model and the INSPIRE Guidelines for the encoding of spatial data as a result. These documents illustrate the general ideas and could be used as a starting point.
GMES and GEOSS have not yet adopted any data specifications or developed a strategy for such specifications. Therefore, there seems to be an opportunity to establish agreements before parallel work in the initiatives makes this much more difficult. Moreover, the GMES in-situ architecture will need to transition from the current ad-hoc provisioning arrangement to a more sustainable operational approach. Since there are many providers and supply networks, which will need to feed into several GMES service projects, there is obviously a technical need for data transformation - the INSPIRE approach provides a potential solution.
In this context also the role of the Observation & Measurements standard is exemplary, and should be addressed.
Dependencies None
Further background information
  • Technology Watch Report - Data Interoperability [PDF]
  • Comparative analysis report (version 2) [PDF]
  • Comparative Analysis Report (version 2) - Annex Recommendations [PDF]
Main discussion points
  • Introducing a common foundation on the conceptual level can be expected to be challenging for implementation oriented communities and requires capacity building (see ISSUE-DI-007). On the other hand, the GMES fast-track service implementation projects all have some degree of adoption of OGC services - this could be leveraged to obtain agreement around the idea of establishing a deeper common architectural framework (which then could integrate with INSPIRE).
  • Commitment of the initiatives is required for the process and for applying the recommendations. For instance, the EEA's GMES In-situ Coordination project must be fully committed to engaging with INSPIRE
Roadmap With the work on INSPIRE Annex II/III data specifications starting early 2010, this issue should be taken up no later than early 2010, too, and be resolved as soon as possible.
 

[Logo] FP7GIGAS is a Support Action funded under the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission. The project runs from June 2008 to May 2010.