How to set up an ISO register based on ISO 19135
The text of this draft is based on Annex C of ISO 19135-1:2015, amended in accordance with the work of the ISO 19135-1:2015/Amendment 1 project. That is, the text reflects ISO 19135-1:2015/DAmd1, amended by accepting the comments provided by PMG after discussion with the TC211 Secretariat and Geodetic Register Manager, before the ISO/CS recommended removing Annex C from the standard.
Tracked changes reflect discussion in PMG, asking for a little text to point “non-ISO TC/211” people to the standard itself.
This could be an entirely new section in the TC 211 Good practice, or it could appear as text on the “supporting systems” page (Supporting Systems (iso.org)). The section heading should be the title text of this document: “How to set up an ISO register based on ISO 19135”.
1 General
ISO/TC 211 has developed several technical standards that specify geographic information item classes and may develop more in the future. The TC may choose to establish registers for some of these classes. A proposal to establish a register should be included in the New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) to develop a technical standard that will specify an item class to be registered. ISO/TC 211 may also resolve to establish a register in connection with a standard that is already in development.
Note 1: these notes have been drawn up considering the experience and requirements of ISO TC/211. However, they may be of interest to other ISO technical committees.
Note 2: if you are considering setting up a register that conforms to, or uses the principles of, ISO 19135 Geographic information - Procedures for item registration, but is not to be owned by ISO, then you should follow the requirements of the standard – you don’t need to read on here!
1.1 Relevant clauses and terms in the ISO Directives
Maintenance agency is described in ISO Directives Part 1, Clause 2.11.
Registration authority is described in ISO Directives Part 1, Clause 2.12
ISO supplement, Annex SN Registration Authority (“RA”) Policy introduces:
- SN.3.1 RA Standard
- SN.3.2 Registration Services / RA Services
- SN.3.3 Registration Authority (“RA”)
- SN.3.5 Registration Authority Agreement
- SN,3,6 Registration Elements
- SN.3.7 Technical Programme Managers
1.2 Summary
When choosing to establish an ISO register, it is important to determine whether the items in it are normative parts of the relevant standard or informative.
If the TC considers that the items are normative, i.e. they are part of “a standard that will require frequent modification”, then ISO will appoint a Maintenance Agency. ISO/TMB or Central Secretariat will need to approve and authorize all procedures. They normally expect the Maintenance Agency secretariat to be the secretariat of the TC. See ISO/IEC Directives. This document does not discuss this alternative further, although it may be possible to use the approach in this document for such a standard.
If the TC considers that the items are informative, then ISO TMB will appoint a Registration Authority to undertake the functions assigned to them. See ISO Directives – Procedures specific to ISO. In this case:
- ISO owns copyright in data and sees the Technical Committee as fulfilling the operational role of register owner.
- The ISO term for the standard that is adopting the approach defined in this document to manage informative elements is RA Standard.
- The ISO term for the ISO 19135 register manager is Registration Authority (RA)
- The ISO term for whichever requirements of ISO 19135 are assigned to the register manager is Registration Services (RA Services).
- The ISO term Registration Elements means “Unique identifiers or identifier code components, the methodology for which is described in the RA Standard but which themselves are not part of the RA Standard.”
The only Registration Service that ISO requires to be assigned to the RA is the assignment of unique identifiers. The Registration Element could be equivalent to just the RegisterItem.itemIdentifier, although it would more usually be the entire RegisterItem. In ISO 19135, the itemIdentifier is generally assigned when the RA register manager (RA) initiates the approval process (see informative D.2.2.2 b) 2)). This does not mean that the approval process is also a described Registration Service.
The RA Standard can delegate other RA Services, these should be described in the RA Agreement between ISO and the RA. While deciding which requirements to delegate, the RA Standard should consider that where the requirement is delegated as an RA Service, the Control Body reporting to the TC no longer has authority over the operation of that service.
The ISO Directives are concerned with the operation of the register, not the registry, i.e the data content, not the software or system used.
2 Appointment of an ISO/TC 211 register manager
When ISO/TC 211 resolves to establish a register, the TC Secretariat shall solicit nominations of qualified organizations (3) to serve as the register manager. Where the register is an ISO register, the register manager is known as a ‘registration authority’. In order to reduce the proliferation of registration authorities, ISO/TC 211 shall first seek candidates among the registration authorities
it has already approved. If no existing ISO/TC 211 register manager is able to serve, the ISO/TC 211 Secretariat shall solicit nominations. Only ISO/TC 211 member National Bodies and organizations
in liaison with ISO/TC 211 may nominate organizations to be ISO/TC 211 registration authorities. ISO/TC 211 shall endorse the nomination by letter ballot or by plenary resolution. If more than one
candidate is nominated, ISO/TC 211 shall choose between them by letter ballot. Once a candidate has been selected, the ISO/TC 211 Secretariat shall request the approval of the ISO/TMB.
3 Qualifications of an ISO/TC 211 register manager
To qualify for designation as an ISO/TC 211 register manager, an organization shall demonstrate that
a) it is a legal entity,
b) it has been in existence for no less than two years,
c) it enjoys a sound financial structure,
d) it has available personnel who are technically competent in the relevant subjects of the technical standards upon which item classes in the register are based,
e) it agrees to function in its capacity as a register manager for a minimum of five years,
f) it has sufficient equipment resources (e.g. hardware, software) and communication facilities (e.g. postal address, telephone, facsimile, e-mail address, website),
g) it shall require no financial contribution from ISO Central Secretariat or ISO members.
4 Responsibilities of an ISO/TC 211 register manager
An ISO standard that will be supported by a register that uses ISO 19135 in conjunction with an ISO Registration Authority shall specify which requirements of this document are to be considered as RA Services.
The register manager shall provide a report on its activities to each plenary meeting of ISO/TC 211. It shall indicate (e.g. on its web page) that it has been designated an ISO/TC 211 register manager by ISO. In order to promote the standardization of registered items, the register manager shall provide copies of portions of the registers maintained by the register manager to standards developers at no charge under the terms and conditions set by the register manager. The register manager shall complete processing of submitted proposals in no longer than 120 days.
5 Contract
The contractual obligations of the register manager will be determined by the register owner, the ISO Central Secretariat, in accordance with the relevant ISO Directives.
6 Submitting organizations
In the case of registers established by ISO/TC 211, proposals for adding, clarifying, superseding, or retiring register items may be made by the following submitting organizations:
a) any P member or O member of ISO/TC 211;
b) any organization having liaison status with ISO/TC 211.
7 Control bodies
7.1 Appointment of control bodies by ISO/TC 211
ISO/TC 211 shall, in consultation with member bodies and liaison organizations, appoint a control body composed of people having appropriate technical expertise.
7.2 Responsibilities of control bodies
The responsibilities of the Control Body shall be constrained to those activities which have not been assigned to the RA.
A control body shall review proposals for action on registration of individual items or sets of items and inform the register manager of its decision within 90 days of receiving the proposal from the register manager.
8 Appeals
A submitting organization may appeal to ISO/TC 211 if it disagrees with the decision of a control body to reject a registration proposal. An appeal shall contain at a minimum a description of the situation, a justification for the appeal, and a statement of the impact if the appeal is not successful. In the event of an appeal, the ISO/TC 211 Secretariat shall issue a letter ballot for the TC to vote to accept or reject the appeal. For such a ballot, both votes to sustain and votes to overturn the decision of the control body shall require a statement of the rationale for the vote. The decision of the TC shall be published within 150 days of the date of the appeal.
| Updated | 2020-12-10 |
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