An introduction to the OGC/ISO coverage and datacube standard for modeling multi-dimensional, spatio-temporal Big Data

Earth data continuously grow in volume and complexity, beyond classical 1D timeseries and 2D maps also encompassing 3D x/y/t satellite image timeseries and x/y/z geophysical data, 4D x/y/z/t atmospheric and maritime data, among others. This signals an increasing importance of multidimensional, typically spatio-temporal “Big Data”, very often forming datacubes. In standardization, coverages establish data structures for such space/time-varying phenomena. Coverages are supported by a set of mature standards, maintained in a continuous cooperation of ISO and OGC and with manifold uptake and implementation. At its heart is the coverage data model standard, Coverage Implementation Schema (CIS). In this contribution we introduce CIS as standardized by ISO and OGC, explain it in detail, and give background information and examples. As such, the paper can be considered a “companion paper” to the standard. We present ISO 19123–2 CIS up to and including the current integration work with OGC CIS 1.1. Before diving into the details, the concepts and terms are explained as defined by ISO 19123–1. To complete the plot, some related standards and a sample implementation are presented.