Standards·Geospatial and Earth observation·Open standards
Geospatial and Earth observation
Geospatial and Earth observation: open standards
The external open standards in the crosswalk domains of geospatial and earth observation. 1 package published; the remaining standards are shown by registry entry, with a link to the body. Artefacts carry a UNI (Unique Nexus Identifier).
Geospatial and Earth observation
- Nexus Standards: NS-3, NS-3b, NS-5.
- Open standards: SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC); OGC API – Features – Part 1: Core; OGC API – Records – Part 1: Core; OGC Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF Standard; GeoParquet; Zarr storage specification; NetCDF Climate and Forecast (CF) Metadata Conventions; RFC 7946 The GeoJSON Format; UN-GGIM Integrated Geospatial Information Framework.
- Data and feeds: NASA Common Metadata Repository (CMR) search API; Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem STAC catalogue; geoBoundaries gbOpen; Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL); Natural Earth vector and raster data.
- Couples with: Visualisation, figures and maps; Data and datasets; Real-time and streaming data; Hazards and disaster risk reduction.
01Overview
Summary
Open standardsGeospatial and Earth observation
- Registry entries31
- Packages published1
- DomainsGeospatial and Earth observation, Nature-related disclosure and ecosystems, Climate
- Further packagesin preparation
Nexus Standards · proposed
- Nexus Standards
- 3
- NS-3, NS-3b, NS-5
- Open standards
- 9
- named, never copied
- Data and feeds
- 5
- listed for reference
- Couplings
- 4
- with other areas
03Registry
External standards in the area’s domains
31 registry entries in the crosswalk domains of the area.
| Standard | Body | Version | Relation | Access | Package |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures | TNFD | v1.0 (18 September 2023); LEAP v2.0 reported October 2026 | crosswalk | open | in preparation |
| IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures | International Sustainability Standards Board (IFRS Foundation) | issued 26 June 2023; effective 1 January 2024 | crosswalk | unknown | in preparation |
| GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard | World Resources Institute and WBCSD (GHG Protocol) | Revised edition 2004; third edition under revision (progress update December 2025) | cite | open | in preparation |
| GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance | GHG Protocol | 2015; revision in progress | cite | open | in preparation |
| GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard | GHG Protocol | 2011; revision in progress | cite | open | in preparation |
| ISO 14090:2019 Adaptation to climate change – Principles, requirements and guidelines | ISO/TC 207/SC 7 | 2019 | compatibility profile (restricted) | paywalled | in preparation |
| ISO 14091:2021 Adaptation to climate change – Guidelines on vulnerability, impacts and risk assessment | ISO/TC 207/SC 7 | 2021 | compatibility profile (restricted) | paywalled | in preparation |
| NGFS long-term climate macro-financial scenarios | Network for Greening the Financial System | Phase V (5 November 2024); explanatory notes 7 November 2025 | cite | open | in preparation |
| SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard | Science Based Targets initiative | V1.3 baseline; V2.0 criteria document dated June 2026 (effective dates UNVERIFIED) | cite | open | in preparation |
| INFORM Climate Change Risk Index – Concept and Methodology | European Commission Joint Research Centre | 2022 (JRC129896) | cite | open | in preparation |
| IPCC AR6 Working Group II – risk framing (hazard, exposure, vulnerability, response) | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change | AR6 WGII (2022) | adopt | open | in preparation |
| ISO 19115-1:2014 Geographic information – Metadata – Part 1: Fundamentals | ISO/TC 211 | 2014 with Amd 1:2018 and Amd 2:2020 | compatibility profile (restricted) | paywalled | in preparation |
| ISO 19157-1:2023 Geographic information – Data quality – Part 1: General requirements | ISO/TC 211 | 2023 (April 2023; replaces ISO 19157:2013) | compatibility profile (restricted) | paywalled | in preparation |
| OGC API – Features – Part 1: Core | Open Geospatial Consortium | 1.0.1 (17-069r4 corrigendum); Parts 2 and 3 also 1.0.1 | adopt | open | in preparation |
| OGC API – Records – Part 1: Core | Open Geospatial Consortium | 1.0 (20-004r1, International Standard) | crosswalk | open | in preparation |
| SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC) specification | STAC community; OGC Community Standard 25-004 | 1.1.0 (OGC Community Standard); core text CC BY 4.0 | adopt | open | package |
| OGC GeoPackage Encoding Standard | Open Geospatial Consortium | 1.4.0 (12-128r19, 6 February 2024) | cite | open | in preparation |
| OGC SensorThings API Part 1: Sensing | Open Geospatial Consortium | 1.1 (18-088); Part 2 Tasking Core 1.0; STAplus 1.0 | crosswalk | open | in preparation |
| RFC 7946 The GeoJSON Format | IETF | Proposed Standard (August 2016) | adopt | open | in preparation |
| UN-GGIM Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF) | UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management | nine strategic pathways | cite | open | in preparation |
| Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework | Convention on Biological Diversity | 2022 | cite | open | in preparation |
| IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria | IUCN | 3.1 | adopt | open | in preparation |
| IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology | IUCN | 2.0 | adopt | open | in preparation |
| System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting | UN Statistical Commission | 2021 | crosswalk | open | in preparation |
| International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) interoperability and performance work | UN Office for Outer Space Affairs | current | cite | open | in preparation |
| OGC SensorML encoding standard | OGC | 2.0 | adopt | open | in preparation |
| CCSDS space data system standards | Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems | current | cite | open | in preparation |
| GOOS Essential Ocean Variables | IOC-UNESCO Global Ocean Observing System | current | adopt | open | in preparation |
| UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience (Global Goal on Adaptation) | UNFCCC | 2023 | cite | open | in preparation |
| UNCCD Scientific Conceptual Framework for Land Degradation Neutrality | UN Convention to Combat Desertification | 2017 | cite | open | in preparation |
| OGC GeoSPARQL – A Geographic Query Language for RDF Data | OGC | 1.1 | adopt | open | in preparation |
04Questions
Questions and answers.
Why are most packages still in preparation?
A package requires information not yet held in the registry: the outline, participation channels, implementations, test suites and data sources. The registry is being extended to hold it; the three published packages compile this information from the bodies’ public pages.
Related
Around geospatial and Earth observation.
Standards
Shape the standards for geospatial and earth observation.
Governments, regulators, standards bodies, industry, academia and communities are invited to shape the catalogue ahead of its first official release, targeted for 2030: comment on a draft, propose a change, join a working group or host a field exercise.
Status and use. The Nexus Standards are proposed standards developed through an open process under NS-13 and published for voluntary use; they do not constitute certification, accreditation or regulatory approval, and adoption remains a decision of the Global Standards Council and, in each country, of its National Standards Council. A UNI (Unique Nexus Identifier) identifies an artefact; it does not certify it. Names of standards bodies and their standards belong to their stewards and are used only to identify the documents; no text of an external standard is reproduced here. Nexus Standards is not affiliated with, endorsed by or certified by any standards body named here.
Licences: CC BY 4.0 for standards text, registries, schemas and data; Apache-2.0 for reference code. External standards are cited by name, number and link under their own licences. Third-party data, libraries and fonts keep their own licences: see Third-party notices.