ISO Topic Categories

From Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)

There are 19 topic categories. Geospatial One Stop (GOS) uses the ISO cateogories to sort/organize the metadata. If you publish metadata to GOS then it is highly recommended. The case and spacing on these terms is controlled and will be invalid if altered.

Categories

Name Domain code Definition
farming 001 rearing of animals and/or cultivation of plants Examples: agriculture, irrigation, aquaculture, plantations, herding, pests and diseases affecting crops and livestock
biota 002 flora and/or fauna in natural environment Examples: wildlife, vegetation, biological sciences, ecology, wilderness, sealife, wetlands, habitat
boundaries 003 legal land descriptions Examples: political and administrative boundaries
climatologyMeteorologyAt mosphere 004 processes and phenomena of the atmosphere. Examples: cloud cover, weather, climate, atmospheric conditions, climate change, precipitation
economy 005 economic activities, conditions and employment. Examples: production, labour, revenue, commerce, industry, tourism and ecotourism, forestry, fisheries, commercial or subsistence hunting, exploration and exploitation of resources such as minerals, oil and gas
elevation 006 height above or below sea level Examples: altitude, bathymetry, digital elevation models, slope, derived products
environment 007 environmental resources, protection and conservation Examples: environmental pollution, waste storage and treatment, environmental impact assessment, monitoring environmental risk, nature reserves, landscape
geoscientificInformation 008 information pertaining to earth sciences Examples: geophysical features and processes, geology, minerals, sciences dealing with the composition, structure and origin of the earth’s rocks, risks of earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, gravity information, soils, permafrost, hydrogeology, erosion
health 009 health, health services, human ecology, and safety Examples: disease and illness, factors affecting health, hygiene, substance abuse, mental and physical health, health services
imageryBaseMapsEarthCover 010 base maps Examples: land cover, topographic maps, imagery, unclassified images, annotations
intelligenceMilitary 011 military bases, structures, activities Examples: barracks, training grounds, military transportation, information collection
inlandWaters 012 inland water features, drainage systems and their characteristics Examples: rivers and glaciers, salt lakes, water utilization plans, dams, currents, floods, water quality, hydrographic charts
location 013 positional information and services Examples: addresses, geodetic networks, control points, postal zones and services, place names
oceans 014 features and characteristics of salt water bodies (excluding inland waters) Examples: tides, tidal waves, coastal information, reefs
planningCadastre 015 information used for appropriate actions for future use of the land Examples: land use maps, zoning maps, cadastral surveys, land ownership
society 016 characteristics of society and cultures Examples: settlements, anthropology, archaeology, education, traditional beliefs, manners and customs, demographic data, recreational areas and activities, social impact assessments, crime and justice, census information
structure 017 man-made construction Examples: buildings, museums, churches, factories, housing, monuments, shops, towers
transportation 018 means and aids for conveying persons and/or goods Examples: roads, airports/airstrips, shipping routes, tunnels, nautical charts, vehicle or vessel location, aeronautical charts, railways
utilitiesCommunication 019 energy, water and waste systems and communications infrastructure and services Examples: hydroelectricity, geothermal, solar and nuclear sources of energy, water purification and distribution, sewage collection and disposal, electricity and gas distribution, data communication, telecommunication, radio, communication networks

Implementation Sample

Keywords:
 Theme:
  Theme Keyword Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
  Theme Keyword: climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
  Theme Keyword: oceans



ISO Legend

Possible Parent Elements

ESIP-logo-tag sm-H.jpg

Please contribute!