The GSDI Association is an umbrella organization which brings together associations, agencies, organizations, companies and technicians from around the world to promote the development of Spatial Data Infrastructure for all scales.

GSDI itself defines its objectives as: "The Global Spatial Data Infrastructure supports ready global access to geographic information. This is achieved through the coordinated actions of nations and organizations that promote awareness and implementation of policies, the standardization and effective mechanisms for the development, accessibility and interoperability of digital geographic data and technologies as the basis for decision making on all scales for multiple purposes. These measures include policies, organizational management, data, technologies, standards, mechanisms of transmission and human and financial resources necessary to ensure that those working at the global and regional scale are not impeded in meeting their objectives. "

Its website provides a page of technical publications, among which is of particular interest entitled "The Spatial Data Infrastructure Cookbook" which explains in detail the objectives, components and services Minimum Spatial Data Infrastructure, becoming essential reading for understanding of these.

Link to GSDI http://www.gsdi.org/
Link to the documentation page on the GSDI http://www.gsdi.org/publications.php
Link to the publication "The SDI cookbook" http://www.gsdi.org/docs2004/Cookbook/cookbookV2.0.pdf

The International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, is responsible for promoting the development of international standards in almost all fields of industry and services (production, communication, trade, etc).

The ISO is a network of national standards institutes of 160 countries on the basis of one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva (Switzerland), which coordinates the system. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is made up of government delegations and non-subdivided into a number of subcommittees responsible for developing guidelines or standards.

As far as geomatics or geographic information, this international organization has a working group called TC-211 (Technical Committee 211). All the rules that this working group occurs in the family of ISO standards related -19,100 with spatial information.

Link to the homepage of ISO http://www.iso.org
Website of the standards developed by TC-211 http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_tc_browse.htm?commid=54904
Website of the TC-211, ISO http://www.isotc211.org/

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Open Geospatial Consortium

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) was established in 1994 and now part of it a total of 372 public and private organizations. The OGC arises out of the development of open source GIS software GRASS and subsequent Foundation OGF (Open GIS Foundation) was established in 1992. He was formerly known as Open GIS Consortium. This consortium is part of the ISO technical committee responsible for developing standards on geographic information, the TC-211.

The goal of this consortium is the definition of open standards and interoperable within the GIS and the World Wide Web. Seeking agreements between businesses that enable the interoperation of geoprocessing systems and facilitate the exchange of geographic information for the benefit of users. The OGC are large companies producing software, in addition to public agencies and research centers.

The main specifications are developed by the OGC GML, KML, WMS, WFS, WCS and CSW. It is this set of specifications that are based on the services of most of the Spatial Data Infrastructure, as to ensure technological neutrality and interoperability have been implemented in many software tools.

Link to OGC homepage: http://www.opengeospatial.org/
Website OGC specifications: http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards
Website OGC documentation http://www.opengeospatial.org/resource/cookbooks

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Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe

INSPIRE (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe) is an initiative of the European Commission whose framework is set out in Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of March 14, 2007, published in the Official Journal of the EU (OJEU) on April 25, 2007, which aims to create a spatial data infrastructure in Europe. INSPIRE is a legal initiative that establishes standards and protocols of technical, organizational and coordinating policies on information that includes data access and the creation and maintenance of spatial information.

Following the adoption of this directive in 2007, are developing rules for implementation with the goal that all Spatial Data Infrastructure of the member states are consistent and the exchange of information across borders. This is developing a set of rules that seek to implement various fields (metadata, data specifications, network services, and monitoring and reporting policies and data services).

Link to homepage of Inspire: http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu
Website of the rules of implementation: http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/47

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Consejo Superior Geográfico

In Spain, the Consejo Superior Geográfico  and more specifically from the Working Group of the Spatial Data Infrastructure of Spain, which form part of government (central government, autonomous administrations and local governments), universities and private companies are develop a series of recommendations to continue to coordinate the development of Spatial Data Infrastructure of Spain, which is formed by the Spatial Data Infrastructure for all public administrations in Spain: Spatial Data Infrastructure of the State General Administration (IDEAGE ), the different Spatial Data Infrastructure of the Autonomous Communities (IDEAndalucia, IDEC, iDEN, etc ...) and local administrations.

Currently IDEE Working Group has developed several recommendations for metadata, services and Gazetteer, which define the profiles of some of the Spanish international standards.

Website of the IDEE: http://www.idee.es/show.do?to=pideep_recomendaciones.EN