Interoperability in Planetary Research for Geospatial Data Analysis

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development and adoption of interoperable standards and services for geospatial data in planetary research, facilitating data sharing and analysis across diverse planetary bodies.

Contribution

It reviews the progress and current standards for interoperable geospatial data access and analysis in planetary science, emphasizing OGC services and mapping conventions.

Findings

Adoption of OGC standards enhances planetary geospatial data interoperability.

Standardized formats improve data sharing among international research institutions.

Progress supports integrated analysis of diverse planetary surface data.

Abstract

For more than a decade there has been a push in the planetary science community to support interoperable methods for accessing and working with geospatial data. Common geospatial data products for planetary research include image mosaics, digital elevation or terrain models, geologic maps, geographic location databases (e.g., craters, volcanoes) or any data that can be tied to the surface of a planetary body (including moons, comets or asteroids). Several U.S. and international cartographic research institutions have converged on mapping standards that embrace standardized geospatial image formats, geologic mapping conventions, U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) cartographic and metadata standards, and notably on-line mapping services as defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).