The OpenGIS® Sensor Model Language Encoding Standard (SensorML) specifies models and XML encoding that provide a framework within which the geometric, dynamic, and observational characteristics of sensors and sensor systems can be defined. The objective of SensorML is to provide a complete description of an instrument’s capabilities and give the information needed to process and geolocate the measured data.
SensorML information includes:
- Sensor name, type, and identification numbers
- Temporal, legal, or classification constraints
- A reference to the platform description
- The sensor’s coordinate reference system definition
- The sensor’s location
- The response characteristics and information for geolocating samples
- The sensor operator and tasking services
- Textual metadata and history of the sensor
- Textual metadata and history of the sensor description document
By describing sensors using SensorML, anyone can put sensors or sensor data online for others to find and use. By automating the reading of metadata, SensorML will enable the development of software tools that automatically co-register different kinds of data with little human intervention. SensorML makes sensors become more intelligent and autonomous by assisting in onboard processing of data and communications among multiple sensors.