Overview
EN ISO 19115-2:2019 (ISO 19115-2:2019) - Geographic information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions for acquisition and processing - specifies an extended metadata schema for describing how geographic information is acquired and processed. It augments ISO 19115-1:2014 to capture detailed information about measuring systems, sensors, numerical methods and computational procedures used to derive geographic data (including imagery and gridded data). The standard also provides an XML encoding for acquisition and processing metadata, extending the XML schemas referenced in ISO/TS 19115-3.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Extended metadata classes that build on ISO 19115-1 to record acquisition and processing lineage, geolocation and sensor/instrument properties.
- Provenance and extended lineage: structured representation of process chains from raw sensing (remote sensing, field collection, scanned maps) to final data products to support quality control and reproducibility.
- Measuring systems and sensors: metadata for instrument characteristics (e.g., MI_Instrument / MI_Sensor class specified in the revision) and geometry of the measuring process.
- Processing methods and algorithms: fields to document numerical methods, computational procedures and software used in derivation or transformation steps.
- Geolocation information: metadata to describe georeferencing, georectification and control points used to relate imagery to Earth coordinates.
- XML schema support: Annex C links the standard to XML schema implementations for ISO 19115-2, enabling machine-readable metadata exchanges (complements ISO/TS 19115-3).
- Conformance and profiles: guidance for conformance requirements and how to create metadata profiles tailored to organizational needs.
Practical applications - who uses it
- GIS data managers and metadata specialists who need to document acquisition and processing workflows.
- Remote sensing and imagery analysts documenting sensor characteristics, calibration and geolocation.
- National mapping agencies, surveyors and cadastral authorities maintaining provenance for official geospatial datasets.
- Software vendors and integrators implementing metadata catalogs and data discovery services (XML metadata exchange).
- Quality assurance teams applying ISO 19157 data quality standards in combination with acquisition metadata.
Related standards
This standard is published as EN ISO 19115-2:2019 and adopted by national bodies (e.g., SIST in Slovenia). Use ISO 19115-2:2019 to improve metadata completeness, enable interoperable discovery of acquisition/processing details, and strengthen data reproducibility for geospatial workflows.
