Delivering standards for data content and services

As digital geographic information becomes more available, the need for standards increase. Data has become a commodity that can be shared between different systems, and various different systems can be used to create the same datasets. In the past, GIS systems were specialized systems that worked in solation within organizations. Standards break down the barriers that sustained this isolation. However, the standards that are required appear very different depending upon the type of organization developing the standards. Data producers, application developers, manufacturers, database suppliers ana operators and users all have different perceptions of what is required in terms of standardization. There are many standards efforts underway in different international, transnational, national, and industrial standards bodies. We do not lack standards. The challenge is to weave all of the standards together into a workable fabric.