Geospatial information for sustainable food systems

58th ISO/TC 211 plenary meeting

The 58th ISO/TC 211 plenary meeting took place between the 24th and 28th of June at the British Standards Institute (BSI) in Chiswick, London. ISO/TC211 is the Technical Committee 211 of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is responsible for standardization in the field of geographic information/Geomatics. This committee focuses on the development of standards that are necessary for the acquisition, processing, analysis, access, presentation, and dissemination of geographic data, tools and services. The goal is to align these standards with existing information technology and data standards, enhancing the development of sector-specific applications that leverage geographic data, including for the agricultural sector. Since 2003, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has played a pivotal role in supporting international standards for land cover and land use under the FAO-ISO cooperative agreement. This effort includes the 19144 series, with key standards such as ISO 19144-1 addressing classification systems' basics, ISO 19144-2 focusing on Land Cover Meta Language, ISO 19144-3 on Land Use Meta Language and 19144-4 concerning registration and implementation aspects. The 10th Advisory Group on Land Cover and land use was organised on June 24th 2024, enhancing collaboration with various geospatial and standardization entities and in support of the 19144 series standard development process.