Overview
ISO/TS 37172:2022 - "Smart community infrastructures - Data exchange and sharing for community infrastructures based on geographic information" - provides a practical framework for exchanging and sharing community infrastructure data that is grounded in geographic information. As an implementation-oriented technical specification of ISO work on smart community data, it clarifies layers, roles, data characteristics and real-world application scenarios to improve interoperability and operational use of GIS-enabled infrastructure data.
Key keywords: ISO/TS 37172:2022, smart community infrastructures, geographic information, data exchange, data sharing, GIS, infrastructure data.
Key Topics
- Framework architecture: A three-tier model composed of the database layer, platform layer, and application layer, supported by five implementation patterns for practical deployment.
- Database layer contents: Geographic datasets (e.g., DOM, DEM, DRG, DLG), infrastructure data (water, energy, transportation, waste, ICT) and related datasets (population, economic, buildings, telecom signals).
- Data classification: Guidance to organise data into thematic data, reference data and metadata and to classify data using the ISO 37156 spectrum (closed, shared, open).
- Data characteristics and quality: Emphasis on traceability, reliability, integrity, privacy/security and integration to enable trustworthy exchange and reuse.
- Roles and stakeholders: Defines core stakeholder roles - community managers, data providers and producers, platform developers, system operators, equipment providers, citizens and consumers - and outlines their responsibilities in data sharing.
- Operational guidance: Implementation patterns and mechanisms to reduce duplicated construction, enable authoritative services and support lifecycle stages (production, storage, distribution).
Applications and Who Uses It
ISO/TS 37172 is intended for organizations and professionals involved in building and operating smart community infrastructure and GIS-enabled services:
- Community managers and local governments - for evidence-based decision-making, planning and cross-department coordination.
- Data providers and producers - to standardize data formats and metadata for wider reuse and marketplace opportunities.
- Software/platform developers and system operators - to design interoperable platforms and APIs for data exchange and catalogue services (e.g., CSW, GIS APIs).
- Infrastructure planners and operators - in water, transportation, energy, public safety, environmental protection and renewable energy management to support census, planning and day-to-day management.
- Procurement and policy teams - to reference implementation patterns when specifying systems, procurement or regulatory guidance.
Related Standards
- ISO 37156 (data exchange and sharing for smart community infrastructures) - ISO/TS 37172 serves as a geographic-information-focused implementation case to improve operability.
- ISO/TR 37171 and ISO 37100 are also referenced within the ISO/TC 268 work program for smart cities and communities.
This specification helps cities and service providers realize efficient, secure and interoperable sharing of GIS-based infrastructure data to support smarter planning, operations and public services.