Spatial Data Services – a discussion paper

Version 0.7.1_MIG-T (26-08-2015) Christina Wasström for MIG-T. The content in this version is the

same as version 0.7.1. The text “work in progress, waiting for confirmation” is added for the

sections that are still open questions within the informal SDS group. This version will be presented

at MIG-T meeting 27/8 2015.

1 Introduction At a MIG-T meeting in Madrid, several points related to Spatial Data Services (SDS) were presented

for discussion and agreement. At the meeting it was agreed to elaborate these points in a document

and present it to the EC for agreement (Tasks #2377 and #2456).

It was also agreed to include the clarifications in the Technical Guidelines for SDS, either in the

introduction or in an Annex. It should also be discussed with the MIG-P and the EC (DG ENV), either

before or after inclusion in the TG. It will also be useful to share the clarifications with the wider

INSPIRE community.

This document includes no guidance for implementing metadata for spatial data services. Currently a

temporary sub-group of the MIG-T is working on an update of the Technical Guidance Document for

Metadata which will include guidance for the implementation of metadata for all INSPIRE resources

based on different regulations.

A small informal group was created to finalise the white paper document. The following persons

volunteered to join this small “SDS group”; Christina Wasström (SE), Daniela Hogrebe (DE), Joeri

Robbrecht (DG ENV), Daniele Francioli (JRC) and Michael Lutz (JRC).

2 Abbreviations MD Metadata

NS Network service

ISDSS Interoperability of spatial data sets and services

SDS Spatial Data Service

MS Member states

3 Definitions Spatial data services means the operations which may be performed, by invoking a computer

application, on the spatial data contained in spatial data sets or on the related metadata (INSPIRE

directive 2007/2/EC, art 3).

Network services is services provided for in Article 11(1) of Directive 2007/2/EC for the discovery,

viewing, download and transformation of spatial data sets and services. The service shall be

conformant regarding the specific requirements in Commission Regulation (EC) 976/2009.

NOTE The INSPIRE directive (art 11) also defines a 5th type of network service; “services allowing

spatial data services to be invoked”. Since all services can be invoked when metadata is published

and accessed through a discovery service, there is no need to have a special service to invoke other

services. Instead the discovery service will take the role as making it possible to invoke a service. (see

also section 5.2.

Discovery service is a service that makes it possible to search for spatial data sets and services on the

basis of the content of the corresponding metadata and to display the content of the metadata

(INSPIRE directive 2007/2/EC, art 11).

View service is a service making it possible, as a minimum, to display, navigate, zoom in/out, pan, or

overlay viewable spatial data sets and to display legend information and any relevant content of

metadata (INSPIRE directive 2007/2/EC, art 11).

Download service is a service enabling copies of spatial data sets, or parts of such sets, to be

downloaded and, where practicable, accessed directly (INSPIRE directive 2007/2/EC, art 11).

Transformation service is a service enabling spatial data sets to be transformed with a view to

achieving interoperability (INSPIRE directive 2007/2/EC, art 11).

Invocable spatial data service is a spatial data service that (a) has metadata which fulfils the

requirements of Commission Regulation (EC) 1205/2008, (b) has at least one resource locator that is

an access point, (c) is conformant with a documented and publicly available set of technical

specifications providing the information necessary for its execution.

NOTE The technical specifications could e.g. be a web site documentation explaining how to use the

service, or they could be more formal, e.g. a WSDL document or a description of a RESTful interface.

Interoperable spatial data service means an invocable spatial data service which fulfils the

requirements of Annex VI (Commission Regulation (EC) 1312/2014, amending Commission

Regulation (EC) 1089/2010, art 1)

Harmonised spatial data service means an interoperable spatial data service which fulfils the

requirements of Annex VII (Commission Regulation (EC) 1312/2014, amending Commission

Regulation (EC) 1089/2010, art 1)

Agreed interpretation of the definitions:

Spatial data service (SDS) is a general term within INSPIRE for all services used for exchanging,

sharing, access and use of spatial data or metadata. SDSs are divided into two major groups, each of

which is governed by separate Implementing Rules: “Network services” (Regulation (EC) 976/2009)

and “Other spatial data services” (Commission Regulations (EC) 1311 and 1312/2014). All SDSs within

INSPIRE (i.e. both Network services and other SDSs) shall be discoverable. The other SDSs are then

divided into three different categories depending on level of interoperability; Invocable spatial data

service, Interoperable spatial data service and Harmonised spatial data service. Network services

consist of four different types of services; discovery services, view services, download services and

transformation services.

Figure 1: Spatial data services in the context of INSPIRE and their relationships to different types and

categories of services. Services that are not invocable are not within the scope of INSPIRE.

A spatial data service within the scope of INSPIRE should correspond to at least one theme described

in the INSPIRE directive, annex I-III. In addition, it could also include other data.

4 Scope of spatial data service Three articles in the INSPIRE directive give guidance concerning the scope of spatial data services.

Art. 4 (3): “This Directive shall also cover the spatial data services relating to the data

contained in the spatial data sets referred to in paragraph 1.” Thus, spatial data services are

basically all services that correspond to INSPIRE-relevant data.

Art. 5 (1): “Member States shall ensure that metadata are created for the spatial data sets

and services corresponding to the themes listed in Annexes I, II and III, and those metadata

are kept up to date.” Thus, all spatial data services shall be described with metadata in

conformance with regulation 1205/2008. All spatial data services are then discoverable

spatial data services.

Art. 11 define network services; all spatial data services, that are no network services, are

“other spatial data services”.

That means if an organisation provides a service that corresponds with INSPIRE-relevant data and is

no network service, has at least one resource locator and follows an open technical specification

(both information should be included in the metadata which already exists) then it is an “Invocable

spatial data service”.

If a Member State (MS) already has a Network service for a specific theme, e.g. download service,

the MS can decide to have additional similar services that are not conformant to Commission

Regulation (EC) 976/2009. Such services will also be considered as other spatial data service and shall

follow the requirements in Commission Regulation (EC) 1089/2010. See the second step in the flow

chart below.

Figure 2: Guidance to understand if a spatial data services is in or out of scope of INSPIRE

5 Requirements according to INSPIRE regulations

5.1 Requirements for Spatial Data Services For the spatial data sets and services for which metadata have been created, member states shall

establish and operate at least one (but may decide to establish and operate more than one) of each

type of network service defined in Inspire directive art. 11(1) for discovery, view, download and

transformation.

Transformation services are not mandatory to implement as long as “spatial data sets are made

available in conformity with the implementing rules [for data interoperability] through the

adaptation of existing spatial data sets” (Article 7(3)), i.e. if they are transformed into the INSPIRE

data models through some other means (e.g. offline transformation or on-the-fly transformation in

the download service).

These services shall follow the requirements of Commission Regulation (EC) 976/2009. All other

services related to the spatial data sets shall follow the requirements of Commission Regulation (EC)

1089/2010, and thus be defined as Invocable Spatial Data Service.

All spatial data services, both network services and other spatial data services, shall have metadata

according to Commission Regulation (EC) 1205/2008 and Commission Regulation (EC) 976/2009

Article 2(7). Other spatial data services shall have additional metadata according to Commission

Regulation (EC) 1089/2010 (as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) 1312/2014).

NOTE Requirements and recommendations for implementing Metadata based on Commission

Regulation (EC) 1205/2008, Commission Regulation (EC) 976/2009 and Commission Regulation (EC)

1089/2010 will be included in the next versions of the Technical Guidance Document for Metadata.

The amendment also clarifies that the network services are not affected by the amendment: "This

Regulation does not apply to the network services falling within the scope of Commission Regulation

(EC) 976/2009".

Figure 3: Metadata required for SDS

The amendment that describes invocable spatial data sets (Commission Regulation (EC) 1312/2014

amending Commission Regulation (EC) 1089/2010) explains in articles 14 a and 14 b that metadata

described in annexes V and VI are obligatory for all invocable spatial data services relating to the data

contained in at least one conformant spatial data set. The requirements related to metadata, quality

of service, output encoding and the Get Harmonised Spatial Data Service Metadata Operation that

are described in annex VII shall be implemented where practicable.

5.2 Requirements for services allowing spatial data services to be invoked No specific Implementing Rules exist in INSPIRE that specify requirements for “services allowing

spatial data services to be invoked” as defined in Art. 11(1.e) of the INSPIRE Directive.

However, in Commission Regulation (EU) No 1311/2014 of 10 December 2014 amending Regulation

(EC) No 976/2009, the definition of “INSPIRE metadata element” is extended beyond the metadata

elements defined in Regulation (EC) No 1205/2008 to include also the metadata elements defined in

Annexes V-VII of Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010.

This means that discovery network services need to provide access also to the additional SDS

metadata elements, which contain, among other things, information necessary for the invocation of

SDS. Through the provision of these additional elements, the obligation to provide (network)

“services allowing spatial data services to be invoked” is being fulfilled.

5.3 Guiding flow chart In the INSPIRE scope it is required to set up Network services to be able to discovery, view, download

and if necessary to transformation data that is described in the INSPIRE directive annex I-III. Specific

regulations are published for setting up these services. But since other spatial data services can be of

broad variation there is no detailed description. To support the understanding of SDS and its

requirements this flow chart can be used.

At the starting point there is an existing service already, it could be a service that was not initially

intended as an INSPIRE service when it was set up.

Figure 4: Flow chart illustrating the obligations for spatial data services

5.4 Deadlines As for harmonisation of data sets, the fulfilments of the requirements for invocable spatial data

services are done step-wise.

03-Dec-2010

Metadata according to Commission Regulation (EC) 1205/2008 shall be available for spatial data

services corresponding to Annex III themes

03-Dec-2013

Metadata according to Commission Regulation (EC) 1205/2008 shall be available for spatial data

services corresponding to Annex III themes

10-12-2015

All invocable spatial data service shall have additional metadata elements according to Annex V in

Commission Regulation (EC) 1089/2010 as amended by Commission Regulation (EC)1312/2014

10-12-2016

Invocable spatial data services related to newly collected and extensively restructured spatial data

sets shall have additional metadata element according to Annex VI (interoperable spatial data

service) and, where practicable, Annex VII (harmonised spatial data service) of Commission

Regulation (EC) 1089/2010 as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) 1312/2014

10-12-2021

All invocable spatial data services shall have additional metadata elements according to Annexes VI

(interoperable spatial data service) and, where practicable, Annex VII (interoperable spatial data

service) of Commission Regulation (EC) 1089/2010 as amended by Commission Regulation (EC)

1312/2014

6 Examples of other SDS All Network services and Invocable services are within the scope of INSPIRE SDS. But the purpose of a

European and National infrastructure is to share data and services that are of interest for external

use. So even if a service is within the scope of regarding article 4, 5 and 11 in the Directive, the

service should be of external interest i.e. of interest for others than your own organisation.

Table 1: Example of services that are in or out of scope of Invocable SDS

Example of service Within the scope?

Service for reporting Yes

Service based on legal requirement for

provision of data

Yes

Service that is of external interest Yes

Internal service e.g. for updating No

Based on the definition of spatial data service, many services can be defined as network services and

Invocable SDS. The following give some example of existing services that is within the scope of

Invocable spatial data services.

6.1 Oil spill service A Member State institution is making available on the internet an oil spill service that predicts the

fate and effects of the spilled oil and for the time being it uses wind and current, coast line and sea

depth data in their original representation.

6.2 Flood mapping A Member State institution is making available on the internet a service performing flood mapping

using a Digital Elevation Model

6.3 Finnish Forest Park and Service – excursion map This is an example of other SDS because; Finnish Forest Park and Service is Inspire organisation. In

the application is Inspire relevant data

6.4 NLS Finland – file download service This is an example of other SDS because; NLS Finland is Inspire organisation. In the application is

Inspire relevant data, but not harmonised.

6.5 ArcGIS Server – REST API These kind of service are other SDS if; the service is exposed by an Inspire organization. In the service

there is Inspire relevant data, but not harmonised.

6.6 WMS, WFS, WCS, W*S, *** These kind of service are SDS if

the service is providing access to data sets within the scope of INSPIRE

the service is not meeting the requirements of the network services IRs

6.7 More examples of other SDS Gazetteer, Geocoding and Routing services.