1.1 Characteristics of standards
5
exchange format that suited all the practical needs for airborne imagery type data initiated the ISPRS Working Group dedicated to standardisation. This user-driven case
is a typical starting point for standardisation.
After the initiative had started the discussions in the ISPRS WG and in other
committees discovered that a standard had to be designed in a much broader sense
than originally intended.
A well-known format for referencing imagery to the earth is GeoTIFF. It is a good
solution for small scale or geo-rectified imagery but has some strong limitations.
GeoTIFF is based on a well-defined set of TIFF-tags. The original idea was to simply extend the set of TIFF-tags to meet the requirements of airborne photogrammetry. However, it turned out that a simple definition of additional TIFF-tags would
only foster a temporary solution as new sensor types continuously show up on the
market. As programming time is expensive one would not decide for interim solution. A desirable extension of the subject towards generic transformations and general sensor geometries is not possible without having developed an extended theoretical foundation and strategies to adapt the implementation to the latest solutions
with a minimum effort.
In fact the modem solutions are model driven based on the ISO 19100 standards.
The implementation will be using the Extensible Markup Language (XML). One of
the broader packages is the Sensor Model Language (SensorML) discussed in this
book.
System manufacturer's perspective
The best solution for a system manufacturer is a closed universe based on the
manufacturer's system and without any interfaces to the outside world. Today, this is
no longer realistic. Govemment agencies and other eustomers have forced the manufacturers to open their systems and support standardised interfaces. In a continuously
expanding market sueh as geomatics, it seems that sharing resourees with industrial
partners can favour the economic growth of a eompany.
If standardisation is pushed towards an implemented solution the eompanies not
only have to pay for drafting the standard's doeumentation but also for programming
the implementation. This ean be expensive. In order to guarantee areturn of investment, companies in the IT-business (including geomaties) have opted for joint solutions. The best-known example is the Open GIS Consortium.
Deve/opment group's perspective
A development group, usually ealled the standardisation eommittee, has to draft a
doeument that eontains a solution for the standardisation task. The document would
also address future ehallenges, the details of whieh are often unknown when the development takes plaee. In this sense standardisation, partieularly in the IT-domain, is
very closely related to the design of computer systems. A lot of money is invested
5
exchange format that suited all the practical needs for airborne imagery type data initiated the ISPRS Working Group dedicated to standardisation. This user-driven case
is a typical starting point for standardisation.
After the initiative had started the discussions in the ISPRS WG and in other
committees discovered that a standard had to be designed in a much broader sense
than originally intended.
A well-known format for referencing imagery to the earth is GeoTIFF. It is a good
solution for small scale or geo-rectified imagery but has some strong limitations.
GeoTIFF is based on a well-defined set of TIFF-tags. The original idea was to simply extend the set of TIFF-tags to meet the requirements of airborne photogrammetry. However, it turned out that a simple definition of additional TIFF-tags would
only foster a temporary solution as new sensor types continuously show up on the
market. As programming time is expensive one would not decide for interim solution. A desirable extension of the subject towards generic transformations and general sensor geometries is not possible without having developed an extended theoretical foundation and strategies to adapt the implementation to the latest solutions
with a minimum effort.
In fact the modem solutions are model driven based on the ISO 19100 standards.
The implementation will be using the Extensible Markup Language (XML). One of
the broader packages is the Sensor Model Language (SensorML) discussed in this
book.
System manufacturer's perspective
The best solution for a system manufacturer is a closed universe based on the
manufacturer's system and without any interfaces to the outside world. Today, this is
no longer realistic. Govemment agencies and other eustomers have forced the manufacturers to open their systems and support standardised interfaces. In a continuously
expanding market sueh as geomatics, it seems that sharing resourees with industrial
partners can favour the economic growth of a eompany.
If standardisation is pushed towards an implemented solution the eompanies not
only have to pay for drafting the standard's doeumentation but also for programming
the implementation. This ean be expensive. In order to guarantee areturn of investment, companies in the IT-business (including geomaties) have opted for joint solutions. The best-known example is the Open GIS Consortium.
Deve/opment group's perspective
A development group, usually ealled the standardisation eommittee, has to draft a
doeument that eontains a solution for the standardisation task. The document would
also address future ehallenges, the details of whieh are often unknown when the development takes plaee. In this sense standardisation, partieularly in the IT-domain, is
very closely related to the design of computer systems. A lot of money is invested