History
FERIN evolved from procedures for geographic information registration into a generalized framework applicable across domains.
Timeline
ISO/TC 211 Established
The ISO Technical Committee 211 for Geographic Information/Geomatics is established to develop an integrated set of geographic information standards. The need for managing geographic reference data becomes apparent early in the committee's work.
ISO 19135:2005 (First Edition)
Geographic information - Procedures for item registration is published on October 15, 2005. This first edition establishes foundational concepts for:
- Establishing registers
- Maintaining register content
- Publishing registers
- Governance roles and processes
The focus is primarily on geographic information, but the procedural framework proves applicable to other domains.
ISO/TS 19135-2:2012 Withdrawn
A technical specification for XML Schema Implementation (the "grg" encoding) is published. This provides a concrete encoding for register data exchange.
Note: This specification was later withdrawn on July 2, 2019, as implementation-level concerns were moved out of scope.
ISO 19135-1:2015 (Second Edition) Withdrawn
A technical revision introduces significant improvements:
- Split into parts: The standard is restructured for better maintainability
- Conformance classes: Three levels introduced—Core, Extended, and Hierarchical
- Clarified governance: Better definition of roles and responsibilities
ISO 19135-1:2015/Amd 1:2021 Withdrawn
An amendment incorporates provisions from the withdrawn XML schema specification, but as conceptual requirements rather than implementation details.
ISO 19135:2025 (Third Edition) - The FERIN Framework Current
A major revision introduces the FERIN framework:
- Generalized application: No longer limited to geographic information—applicable to any domain
- Concept and content planes: Formal separation of meaning from data
- Capability-based conformance: Five conformance classes based on capabilities, not hierarchy
- No implementation specifics: Technology-neutral framework without XML schema or encoding constraints
- Commitments: Explicit commitments for access, persistence, and transparency
Published 2025, with the official designation ISO 19135:2026 reflecting the publication year.
Key Organizations
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| ISO/TC 211 | Technical committee responsible for developing and maintaining the standard. Comprises national standards bodies and liaison organizations. |
| CEN/TC 287 | European collaboration via the Vienna Agreement, ensuring alignment between ISO and European standards. |
| IHO | International Hydrographic Organization references FERIN concepts in the S-100 framework for maritime data. |
| OGC | Open Geospatial Consortium has long-standing collaboration with ISO/TC 211 on geographic standards. |
 Enosema Foundation | Contributor to concept relations development and site publisher. |
Evolution from Procedures to Framework
The 2025 edition represents a fundamental shift in philosophy:
2015 Edition
Procedures for item registration
- Focus on geographic information
- Procedural requirements
- Hierarchical conformance
- Implementation included (XML)
2025 Edition
Framework for Extensible Registration
- Domain-agnostic
- Conceptual framework
- Capability-based conformance
- Technology-neutral
Development of ISO 19135:2026
ISO 19135:2026 was developed as a joint collaboration between ISO and CEN under the Vienna Agreement. The development process followed ISO's rigorous standards development stages.
Development Stages
Project Leadership
The standard was developed under the leadership of:
- Ronald Tse(CalConnect/Ribose) - Project Leader
- Reese Plews(JISC Japan/Plews Consulting) - Project Leader
Project Team
The ISO 19135 Project Team comprised experts from national standards bodies, liaison organizations, and industry:
Acknowledgments
The Project Team thanks the following for their tireless editing and validation of the document:
- Nicola Perou - ISO Editor
- Mats Åhlin and Christine Allansson - ISO/TC 211 Secretariat (SIS)
ISO and CEN Support
Migration from 2015 Edition
Organizations with registers conforming to the 2015 edition should be aware of key changes:
- Conformance classes: The Core/Extended/Hierarchical model is replaced by capability-based classes
- Concept plane: Explicit modeling of concepts is now a core part of the framework
- Commitments: New requirements for access, persistence, and transparency
- Status model: Refined status handling for both concepts and content
See the Upgrade Guide for detailed transition guidance.