Authors / CoAuthors
Raymond, O.
Abstract
GeoSciML is the international standard for transfer of digital geological maps and relational database data. GeoSciML was developed over the past decade by the IUGS Commission for the Management and Application of Geoscience Information (CGI), and was adopted as an Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standard in June 2016. Ratification as an official OGC standard marked a coming of age for GeoSciML - it now meets the highest standards for documentation and current best practice for interoperable data transfer. GeoSciML is the preferred standard for geoscience data sharing initiatives worldwide, such as OneGeology, the European INSPIRE directive, the Australian Geoscience Portal, and the US Geoscience Information Network (USGIN). GeoSciML is also used by OGC's GroundwaterML data standard [1] and CGI's EarthResourceML standard [2]. Development of GeoSciML version 4 learnt considerably from user experiences with version 3.2, which was released in 2013 [3]. Although the GeoSciML v3 data model was conceptually sound, its XML schema implementation was considered overly complex for the general user. Version 4 developments focussed strongly on designing simpler XML schemas that allow data providers and users to interact with data at various levels of complexity. As a result, GeoSciML v4 provides three levels of user experience - 1. simple map portrayal, 2. GeoSciML-Basic for common age and lithology data for geological features, and 3. GeoSciML-Extended, which extends GeoSciML-Basic to deliver more detailed and complex relational data. Similar to GeoSciML v3, additional GeoSciML v4 schemas also extend the ISO Observations & Measurements standard to cover geological boreholes, sampling, and analytical measurements. The separate levels of GeoSciML also make it easier for software vendors to develop capabilities to consume relatively simple GeoSciML data without having to deal with the full range of complex GeoSciML schemas. Previously mandatory elements of GeoSciML, that were found to be overly taxing on users in version 3, are now optional in version 4. GeoSciML v4 comes with Schematron validation scripts which can be used by user communities to create profiles of GeoSciML to suit their particular community needs. For example, the European INSPIRE community has developed Schematrons for web service validation which require its users to populate otherwise-optional GeoSciML-Basic elements, and to use particular community vocabularies for geoscience terminology. Online assistance for data providers to use GeoSciML is now better than ever, with user communities such as OneGeology, INSPIRE, and USGIN providing user guides explaining how to create simple and complex GeoSciML web services. CGI also provides a range of standard vocabularies that can be used to populate GeoSciML data services. Full documentation and user guides are at www.geosciml.org.
Product Type
nonGeographicDataset
eCat Id
89870
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Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
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2601
Australia
Keywords
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- External PublicationAbstract
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- information management
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- data standards
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Geology
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- Published_Internal
Publication Date
2016-01-01T00:00:00
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geoscientificInformation
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