Office of Planning and Sustainable Development

ISO Topic Category Name, ISO Topic Category Code
(International Organization for Standards)
(Source: https://fgdc.gov/metadata/documents/MetadataQuickGuide.pdf)

farming, 001
rearing of animals and/or cultivation of plants
e.g., agriculture, crops, livestock
biota, 002
flora and/or fauna in natural environments
e.g., flora and fauna, ecology, wetlands, habitat
boundaries, 003
legal land descriptions
e.g., political and administrative boundaries
climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere, 004
processes and phenomena of the atmosphere
e.g., processes and phenomena of the atmosphere
economy, 005
economic activities, conditions, and employment
e.g., business and economics
elevation, 006
height above or below the earth’s surface https://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/documents/MetadataQuickGuide.pdf
April 2006 Vers. 9
e.g., altitude, bathymetry, dem’s, slope, derived products
environment, 007
environmental resources, protection, and conservation
e.g., natural resources, pollution, impact assessment, monitoring, land analysis
geoscientificInformation, 008
information pertaining to the earth sciences
e.g., geology, minerals, earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes, soils, gravity, permafrost,
hydrogeology, erosion
health, 009
health, health services, human ecology, and safety
e.g., disease, illness, factors affecting health, hygiene, substance abuse
imageryBaseMapsEarthCover, 010
base maps
e.g., land cover, topographic maps, imagery, annotations
intelligenceMilitary, 011
military bases, structures, activities
e.g., military bases, structures, activities
inlandWaters, 012
inland water features, drainage systems and characteristics
e.g., rivers, glaciers, lakes, water use plans, dams, currents, floods, water quality,
hydrographic charts
location, 013
positional information and services
e.g., addresses, geodetic networks, control points, postal zones, place names
oceans, 014
features and characteristics of salt water bodies
e.g., tides, tidal waves, coastal information, reefs
planningCadastre, 015
information used for appropriate actions for future use of the land
e.g., land use maps, zoning maps, cadastral surveys, land ownership
society, 016
characteristics of society and culture
e.g., anthropology, archaeology, religion, demographics, crime and justice
structure, 017
man-made construction
e.g., architecture, buildings, museums, churches, factories, housing, monuments, shops,
towers
transportation, 018
means and aids for conveying persons and/or goods
e.g., roads, airports, airstrips, shipping routes, tunnels, nautical charts, vehicle and vessel
locations, aeronautical charts, railways, trails
utilitiesCommunication, 019
energy, water and waste systems, and communications infrastructure
e.g., hydroelectricity, geothermal, solar, and nuclear sources of energy, water purification
and distribution, sewage collection and disposal, electrical and gas distribution, data
communication, telecommunication, radio, communication networks