What is ISO 19165-2— Preservation of digital data and metadata about?
ISO 19165-2 is the second part of an international standard that covers a conceptual framework for archiving digital information. ISO 19165-2 aims to extend the long-term preservation of digital geospatial data to provide details about content describing the provenance and context-specific data from missions that observe the Earth using spaceborne, airborne, or in situ instruments.
ISO 19165-2 specifies terms, definitions, symbols, abbreviated terms, conformance, mission stages, preservation of content at different mission stages, etc., for preserving the content specifications for Earth observation data and derived digital products.
Who is ISO 19165-2— Preservation of digital data and metadata for?
ISO 19165-2 on preservation of digital data and metadata is useful for:
- GIS Developer
- Conservationist
- Cartographer
- Environmental scientists
- Research institutions
- Climate Scientist
- City/ Urban area Planner
Why should you use ISO 19165-2— Preservation of digital data and metadata?
Specifications for the preservation of information content complement existing archive standards. Space agencies have long recognized the importance of developing information standards for the preservation of space-related data collections.
Organizations that collect, process, and utilize Earth observation data, have a responsibility to ensure that the data and associated content, should continue to be preserved by gathering information and preserving it by themselves, or by handing it off to other organizations. ISO 19165 series indicates that specific content items, need to preserve the full provenance and context of data and associated data, depending on the needs of the designated communities and types of datasets (e.g., maps, remotely sensed data from satellites and airborne instruments, physical samples).
ISO 19165-2 provides more detailed specifications for Earth observation data and derived digital products resulting from spaceborne and airborne remote sensing, as well as in situ observations. ISO 19165-2 benefits from the work performed by the Data Preservation and Stewardship Committee of the U.S. Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP), NASA, ESA, and CEOS WGISS. ISO 19165-2 has the information which is integrated along with the other ISO international standards, to provide specific content items to be preserved from Earth-observing missions for the benefit of users.
It is safe to assume that if the content items specified by ISO 19165-2 are preserved, users will have sufficient information to be able to understand, reuse, and ideally, regenerate data products without the assistance of the original teams that were responsible for their initial generation.