Alexander Martynenko

Institute for Informatics Problems

(Russian Academy of Sciences)

Chair of Subcommittee on Standards for Geoinformation Technologies

(TC 22)

1 General

Today, at the boundary of millennia, the Global Geoinformatic Mapping (GGM) appears as the prior direction of scientific and technical progress. Its goal is the cartographic representation of the real world and creation of the global computer model of the Earth – the Electronic Earth, comprised of millions of space images and electronic maps of various subjects and scales, themes and also reference information. Theoretical fundamentals of GGM are being elaborated by Institute for Informatics Problems and Institute of Geography
(Russian Academy of Sciences) and 29 Defense Research Institute. This problem can be solved by cartographers from various countries, who should meet the 21-century as partners, possessing new ideas, courage and intellectual technologies for creation and application of maps.

The notion of standardization is the basic category that can be defined as an activity oriented to reach an optimal regulation in certain domain by means of establishing some rules intended for the most global use with respect to real or potential tasks. In particular, this activity appears in developing, publishing and implementing standards and technical terms for the cartographic production. The most important results of standardization activity is improving the correspondence between production, processes and services to their intent, elimination of barriers in trade, and assistance in scientific and economic cooperation.

In the area of GGM, the subject of standardization is spatial data, digital and electronic maps (production), processes and services related to the technologies of acquisition, storage, analysis, processing, retrieving and application of cartographic information, as well as to the hard- and software and their mutual compatibility. Standardization also may be limited by certain aspects (properties) of any object. For instance, as applied to the electronic maps, their accuracy and complexity could be standardized separately.

The theoretical basis of developing the National Standard of digital and electronic maps in Russia rests upon the State System for Standardization of Russian Federation that had been put into operation since 1993 by the State Standard of Russian Federation GOST R 1.0-92. This Standard determines purposes and tasks of the standardization process, main principles of standardization in Russia, categories of normative documents and types of standards, main theses on the international cooperation in area of standardization, application of standards and technical terms, and state supervision of the observance of standards.

The regulations of the State System for Standardization of Russian Federation are obligatory to be guided by for all enterprises, unions, joint-stock ventures, etc. (irrespectively of their forms of property and subjection), private business, technical committees on standardization, ministries (departments) and other authorities of the Russian Federation, scientific societies.

2 Types of standards

The State Standard of Russian Federation is the National standard adopted by State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Certification of Russian Federation (Gosstandart of Russia). Branch Standard is the standard that has been adopted by some ministry (department) of Russian Federation. Standard of enterprise is the standard that has been adopted and used only within certain enterprise. Technical terms is a kind of a normative document on certain production or service adopted by the developing organization, as a rule, in cooperation with organization-customer. International Standard is the standard adopted by International Standardization Organization (ISO). Regional Standard is one that has been adopted by a regional international organization, for example, some inter-state standards. Such standards are adopted by the states that joined the agreement on coordinated policy of standardization, metrology and certification, and they are used by these states immediately. National Standard is the standard adopted by national standardization authority of a certain country. Complex of standards is a community of interrelated standards that have the same purpose and establish coordinated requirements to the interrelated subjects of standardization.

3 Procedure for developing standards

All standards are based on generalized results obtained from scientific, technical and practical investigations, and they are intended to reach the optimal public benefit. In geoinformatic mapping, the development of standards involves the methodology, theoretical basis (concepts, methods), technologies of creating and using electronic maps and GIS. It also involves the practical experience of standardization accumulated in Australia, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, USA etc. that has been summarized by ICA Commission on Standards of Spatial Data under chairmanship of Prof. H. Moellering.

In Russia, the development of State Standards is being carried out by the Technical Committees (TC) in accordance with assignments of state standardization plans of Russian Federation, TC working plans and contracts on the development of standards. The development of standards is guided by the legislation of Russia, State System for Standardization of Russian Federation, other normative documents. It also takes into account the documents of international and regional standardization organizations, results of scientific and practical researches, patent investigations and other information about the achievements of home and foreign science and techniques. Then TC sets the deadline of whole work and determines a sub-committee in which the standard is to be developed, or the working group for developing the project of standard. The development of standards for geoinformatic mapping is being carried out by TC 22 «Informational Technologies» that includes Subcommittee 051 «Geoinformational Technologies» (Chairman A. Martynenko).

4 International scientific cooperation

International cooperation in the area of standardization is being carried out in the line of international and regional standardization organizations, as well as on the base of bi- and multilateral agreements with correspondent foreign authorities. Such cooperation is being regulated by the edicts of the President of Russian Federation and decisions of the Government of Russia, international commissions on economic and scientific cooperation, Russia’s liabilities of participation in the activities of regional and international standardization organizations. The international cooperation between Russia and international organizations on standardization includes immediate collaboration in the development of international and regional standards and implementation of these standards in business and interrelations with partner countries. The cooperation in the area of standardization, both bi- and multilateral, includes joint development of standards, fulfillment of joint scientific researches, information interchange, mutual consultations, education etc.

The works on standardization in the area of electronic and digital maps in Russian Federation are carried out by Institute for Informatics Problems (Russian Academy of Sciences ), 29 Defense Research Institute, Central Research Institute of Geodesy, Aerial Survey and Cartography, States Oceanographic Institute and National Cartographic Corporation. Main efforts are directed towards the development of branch standards.

The works on standardization in the area of terms and definitions of electronic and digital maps (including metadata) are also carried out in cooperation with cartographic boards of Ukraine and Belarus.

5 Description of GOST R 51353-99 “Geoinformatic Mapping. Metadata of Electronic Maps. Composition and Content”

The development of standards is carried out by the Technical Committee 22 “Information Technologies” that includes the Subcommittee on Standards for Geoinformation Technologies. This Subcommittee deals with standardization in the field of creation and application of GGM technologies based on methods and tools of acquisition, collection, analysing, displaying, processing and retrieving of spatial data for the needs of electronic mapping, the Electronic Earth. TC 22 also includes committees on terminology, telecommunication and information interchange, programming languages and system program interfaces, computer graphics and image processing, encoding audio, image, multimedia and hypermedia information, automatic identification, methods and tools for data acquisition.

Within the Subcommittee on Standards for Geoinformation Technologies there was developed the State Standard of Russian Federation GOST R 51353-99 “Geoinformatic Mapping. Metadata of Electronic Maps. Composition and Content”. In November 1999 this standard was adopted by the Russian Federation State Committee on Standardization and Metrology.

The areas of application of GOST R 51353-99 are as following: information and analytic supply of state authorities, communication systems and tools, business, transportation, navigation, ecological monitoring, state and private cartographic enterprises.

The need in development of GOST R 51353-99 grew from the necessity of :

acquisition of metadata of electronic maps and information used for creation and storage of electronic maps;
effective application of metadata by customers for the acquisition, storage, analyzing, processing and transfer of geoinformation;
increasing quality of electronic maps;
information compatibility of control, navigation systems and GIS;
electronic maps and metadata interchange both inside Russia and worldwide.

GOST R 51353-99 establishes requirements for the composition and content of common metadata as well as metadata of geodetic, gravimetric, photogrammetric and cartographic information used for creation, updating and application of electronic maps.

Electronic maps are one of multiple forms of representing spatial data. The Electronic Maps System has been creating in Russia as the whole base of spatial data, which is described by metadata.

In reality, GOST R 51353-99 provides creation of the Digital Earth or Electronic Earth (in Russia).

In the process of GOST R 51353-99 development, we used the experience of long and fruitful co-operation with the ICA Commission on Standards of Spatial Data.

The statements of this Standard are liable to application by all authorities and organizations located in Russian Federation, independently of their form of government and subjection, which are engaged in acquisition, systematization, analysis, processing and transfer of spatial data, creation and application of electronic maps, organization of bases of metadata and digital cartographic databanks.

This Standard refers to the following State Standards: GOST 34.003-90 Automated Systems. Terms and Definitions, GOST 22268-76 Geodesy. Terms and Definitions, GOST 24284-80 Gravitational and Magnetic Exploring. Terms and Definitions, GOST 23935-79 Air Photo Cameras and Photo Survey. Terms and Definitions, GOST 21002-75 Phototopography. Terms and Definitions, GOST 21667-76 Cartography. Terms and Definitions, GOST 28441-90 Digital Mapping. Terms and Definitions, GOST R 50828-95 Geoinformatic Mapping. Spatial Data, Digital and Electronic Maps. Common Requirements.

This Standard operates with the following term and definition:

Metadata of electronic maps is data that allows to describe contents, spatial extents, quality (accuracy, complexity, consistency and actuality) and other characteristics of electronic maps.

6 Conclusion

The implementation of these measures, based on the new cooperation principles, will provide more closely collaboration and fruitful contacts of cartographers throughout the world, and allow to realize a breakthrough and move up. The cartographer must become a God who creates the Electronic Earth as the new world of cartography and new appearance of a map by means of fantasy of electronic images and spatial metadata standards.

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Russia 2001

Alexander Martynenko

1 General

6 Conclusion