Overview
ISO 19156:2023 - Geographic information - Observations, measurements and samples defines a conceptual schema for describing observation acts, their results, and the sampling processes used to produce them. The standard provides interoperable models for exchanging observation and sampling information across scientific and technical communities. It addresses externally visible interfaces and imposes no restrictions on internal implementations beyond what is needed to satisfy those interfaces.
Keywords: ISO 19156:2023, observations measurements samples, geographic information, observation schema, sampling, feature-of-interest, observable property, data exchange, interoperability.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Conceptual observation schema: Models the structure of an Observation, including attributes such as phenomenonTime, resultTime, validTime, and associations like featureOfInterest, observedProperty, procedure, observer, and result.
- Result types and units: Defines acceptable result types for observations and constraints (e.g., unit of measure considerations) to support consistent interpretation.
- Sample model: Specifies sample features and a common set of sample types by spatial, material (ex situ), or statistical nature; includes relationships such as sub-sampling and derived samples.
- Alignment and model consistency: Guidance on aligning Observation, Sample and domain models to ensure consistent semantics between features-of-interest and samples.
- Packaging and conformance: Defines UML package structure, conformance classes, and requirements classes to support implementers and conformance testing.
- Interfaces and constraints: Focus on externally visible interfaces, association semantics (e.g., relatedObservation), and constraints for observable properties and suitable result types.
Practical applications and who uses it
ISO 19156:2023 is used by organizations that need interoperable, semantically clear descriptions of observations and samples:
- GIS and remote sensing system designers implementing observation data models
- Environmental and earth scientists documenting measurements and sampling procedures
- Sensor manufacturers and IoT platform developers standardizing observation outputs
- Data architects, catalog managers and metadata specialists enabling data exchange and discovery
- Smart city, meteorological, hydrological and biodiversity information systems requiring consistent observation semantics
Use cases include sensor data interoperability, laboratory sample tracking (ex situ), environmental monitoring networks, and cross-domain scientific data sharing.
Related standards (if applicable)
- Other ISO geographic information standards in the ISO 191xx family address metadata, referencing and encoding practices that complement ISO 19156 for full interoperability and data governance.
ISO 19156:2023 is essential for anyone building interoperable observation and sampling workflows, enabling consistent measurement description, reliable data exchange, and improved cross-domain data reuse.