Expanding Usefulness of Geospatial Data Standards

While many organizations see the clear advantages of establishing and using geospatial data standards, obtaining compliance from constituents continues to be a frustrating, and costly, problem.  Users are frequently reluctant to adopt a new standard given the potential cost of modifying applications that use an existing, custom schema or simply having a 'not invented here' mentality.  This was true within the Department of Defense (DoD) Installation Geospatial Information and Services (IGI&S) community, even though a standard had existed from more than 10 years.  As a part of 2006 Spatial Data Standards for Facilities, Infrastructure, and Environment (SDSFIE) initiative, Zekiah developed a data standardization concept intended to provide flexibility in schema naming conventions and organization without compromising ease of data sharing, conversion, and information understanding. Read More