ISO/IEC 12087-5:2025

Information technology — Image processing and interchange (IPI) functional specification — Part 5: Basic image interchange format (BIIF)

This document establishes the specification of the Basic image interchange format (BIIF). This document provides a foundation for interoperability in the interchange of imagery and imagery-related data among applications. It also provides a detailed description of the overall structure of the format, as well as specification of the valid data and format for all fields defined with BIIF. Annex C contains a Model Profile of BIIF in tables to assist in profile development. The scope and field of application of this document includes the capability to perpetuate a proven interchange capability in support of commercial and government imagery, Programmer’s Imaging Kernel System (PIKS) data, and other imagery technology domains in that priority order. This document provides a data format container for image, symbol, and text, along with a mechanism for including image-related support data. This document: — provides a means whereby diverse applications can share imagery and associated information; — allows an application to exchange comprehensive information to users with diverse needs or capabilities, allowing each user to select only those data items that correspond to their needs and capabilities; — minimizes preprocessing and postprocessing of data; — minimizes formatting overhead, particularly for those applications exchanging only a small amount of data and for bandwidth-limited systems; — provides a mechanism (Transportable File Structure, TFS) to interchange PIKS image and image-related objects; — provides extensibility to accommodate future data, including objects.

Technologies de l’information — Spécification fonctionnelle pour le traitement de l’image et l’échange (IPI) — Partie 5: Format d’échange de l’image de base (BIIF)

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 14-Aug-2025
• ICS: 35.140 - Computer graphics
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 24 - Computer graphics, image processing and environmental data representation
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 24 - Computer graphics, image processing and environmental data representation
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 15-Aug-2025
• Due Date: 17-Aug-2025
• Completion Date: 15-Aug-2025

Relations

• Revises: ISO/IEC 12087-5:1998 - Information technology — Computer graphics and image processing — Image Processing and Interchange (IPI) — Functional specification — Part 5: Basic Image Interchange Format (BIIF)
• Effective Date: 19-Aug-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

International
Standard
ISO/IEC 12087-5
Second edition
Information technology — Image
2025-08
processing and interchange (IPI)
functional specification —
Part 5:
Basic image interchange format (BIIF)
Technologies de l’information — Spécification fonctionnelle pour
le traitement de l’image et l’échange (IPI) —
Partie 5: Format d’échange de l’image de base (BIIF)
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2025
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 2
3.1 Terms and definitions .2
3.2 Abbreviated terms .6
4 Basic image interchange format (BIIF) specification. 7
4.1 Format overview .7
4.1.1 Description .8
4.1.2 Interoperability/exchange .10
4.1.3 Fields .10
4.1.4 Logical structure of pixel storage . 12
4.1.5 Common coordinate system . 13
4.1.6 Display and attachment levels.14
4.2 Format .17
4.2.1 Data recording formats .17
4.2.2 Encoding .17
4.2.3 Header .18
4.2.4 Image segment . 25
4.2.5 Image data field format . 35
4.2.6 Symbol segment . 44
4.2.7 Text information segment .47
4.2.8 Data extensions . 48
5 Conformance profiles and extensions .55
5.1 BIIF profiles . 55
5.2 BIIF profile specific header/subheader dependencies pro forma . 56
5.3 Complexity level pro forma . 56
5.4 Implementation support requirements . 56
5.4.1 General support requirements . 56
5.4.2 Producing and interpreting BIIF files .57
5.5 Defined extensions .57
5.6 BIIF profile registration .57
Annex A (normative) Transportable file structure .58
Annex B (normative) Vector quantization .77
Annex C (normative) Profiling BIIF .86
Annex D (informative) Implementation considerations and product configurations .114
Annex E (informative) Examples of BIIF Profiles .129
Bibliography .143

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity.
ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/
IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
ISO and IEC draw attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the
use of (a) patent(s). ISO and IEC take no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any
claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO and IEC had not
received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers
are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent
database available at www.iso.org/patents and https://patents.iec.ch. ISO and IEC shall not be held
responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 24, Computer graphics, image processing and environmental data representation.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 12087-5:1998), which has been
technically revised. It also incorporates the Technical Corrigenda ISO/IEC 12087-5:1998/Cor. 1:2001, and
ISO/IEC 12087-5:1998/Cor. 2:2002.
The main changes are as follows:
— updated foreword and introduction;
— updated normative references;
— changed the IMODE field value definition from “PVV” to “PVU” so that the IMODE field value range may
be extended by a BIIF profile;
— updated the Open Skies Digital Data Exchange Format (OSDDEF) BIIF Profile definition to match the
current definition used by the Treaty on Open Skies and the Open Skies Consultative Commission (OSCC).
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 12087 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards
body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and
www.iec.ch/national-committees.

© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
iv
Introduction
ISO/IEC 12087-1 establishes the conceptual and architectural framework for the ISO/IEC 12087 series. In
particular, it defines the types of all image data objects, image-related data objects, and attributes that may
be interchanged by means of the Image processing and interchange – Image interchange facility (IPI-IIF).
ISO/IEC 12087-2 establishes the specification of the Programmer’s Imaging Kernel System (IPI-PIKS).
ISO/IEC 12087-3 provides a data format specification and an application program interface specification.
The IIF data format may be used for image data interchange in open, heterogeneous environments. It may
also serve as a local file format for imaging applications, especially in conjunction with ISO/IEC 12087-2.
In future, the IIF data format may be used by telecommunication standards. Examples are future versions
of File Transfer, Access, and Management (FTAM), ISO/IEC 8571; the Message Oriented Text Interchange
Systems (MOTIS), ISO/IEC 10021 [also known as Message Handling System (MHS), CCITT Recommendation
X.400]. Thus, the IIF data format can become part of the application-oriented OSI communications protocols.
ISO/IEC 12088-4 provides the application program interface language binding for the C programming
language. The Image processing and interchange (IPI) functional specification, ISO/IEC 12087, upon which
this binding is based, first emerged as an International Standard in 1994. The functional description
of ISO/IEC 12087 is specified in a language independent manner and needs to be embedded in language
dependent layers (language bindings) for use with particular programming languages.
ISO/IEC 12089 defines the encoding rules that apply to representations of IPI-IIF image data. Due to the
fact that the syntax of the IPI-IIF data format definition, from ISO/IEC 12087-3, is expressed using Abstract
Syntax Notation One (ASN.1), ISO/IEC 12089 makes use of the Basic Encoding Rules (BER) for ASN.1.
Furthermore, ISO/IEC 12089 provides a rationale (in Clause 4) for the introduction of new encoding rules, in
addition to those defined by the BER, that provide support for heterogeneous pixel types within the context
of the IPI-IIF data format definition.
This document establishes the specification of the Basic image interchange forma
...

International
Standard
ISO/IEC 12087-5
Second edition
Information technology — Image
processing and interchange (IPI)
functional specification —
Part 5:
Basic image interchange format (BIIF)
Technologies de l’information — Spécification fonctionnelle pour
le traitement de l’image et l’échange (IPI) —
Partie 5: Format d’échange de l’image de base (BIIF)
PROOF/ÉPREUVE
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2025
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
PROOF/ÉPREUVE
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 2
3.1 Terms and definitions .2
3.2 Abbreviated terms .6
4 Basic image interchange format (BIIF) specification. 7
4.1 Format overview .7
4.1.1 Description .8
4.1.2 Interoperability/exchange .10
4.1.3 Fields .10
4.1.4 Logical structure of pixel storage . 12
4.1.5 Common coordinate system . 13
4.1.6 Display and attachment levels.14
4.2 Format .17
4.2.1 Data recording formats .17
4.2.2 Encoding .17
4.2.3 Header .18
4.2.4 Image segment . 25
4.2.5 Image data field format .37
4.2.6 Symbol segment . 46
4.2.7 Text information segment . 49
4.2.8 Data extensions . 50
5 Conformance profiles and extensions .57
5.1 BIIF profiles .57
5.2 BIIF profile specific header/subheader dependencies pro forma . 58
5.3 Complexity level pro forma . 58
5.4 Implementation support requirements . 58
5.4.1 General support requirements . 58
5.4.2 Producing and interpreting BIIF files .59
5.5 Defined extensions .59
5.6 BIIF profile registration .59
Annex A (normative) Transportable file structure .60
Annex B (normative) Vector Quantization .79
Annex C (normative) Profiling BIIF .88
Annex D (informative) Implementation considerations and product configurations .116
Annex E (informative) Examples of BIIF Profiles .131
Bibliography .145
PROOF/ÉPREUVE
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity.
ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/
IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
ISO and IEC draw attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the
use of (a) patent(s). ISO and IEC take no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any
claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO and IEC had not
received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers
are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent
database available at www.iso.org/patents and https://patents.iec.ch. ISO and IEC shall not be held
responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 24, Computer graphics, image processing and environmental data representation.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 12087-5:1998), which has been
technically revised. It also incorporates the Technical Corrigenda ISO/IEC 12087-5:1998/Cor. 1:2001, and
ISO/IEC 12087-5:1998/Cor. 2:2002.
The main changes are as follows:
— updated foreword and introduction;
— updated normative references;
— changed the IMODE field value definition from “PVV” to “PVU” so that the IMODE field value range may
be extended by a BIIF profile;
— updated the Open Skies Digital Data Exchange Format (OSDDEF) BIIF Profile definition to match the
current definition used by the Treaty on Open Skies and the Open Skies Consultative Commission (OSCC).
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 12087 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards
body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and
www.iec.ch/national-committees.
PROOF/ÉPREUVE
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
iv
Introduction
ISO/IEC 12087-1 establishes the conceptual and architectural framework for the ISO/IEC 12087 series. In
particular, it defines the types of all image data objects, image-related data objects, and attributes that may
be interchanged by means of the Image processing and interchange – Image interchange facility (IPI-IIF).
ISO/IEC 12087-2 establishes the specification of the Programmer’s Imaging Kernel System (IPI-PIKS).
ISO/IEC 12087-3 provides a data format specification and an application program interface specification.
The IIF data format may be used for image data interchange in open, heterogeneous environments. It may
also serve as a local file format for imaging applications, especially in conjunction with ISO/IEC 12087-2.
In future, the IIF data format may be used by telecommunication standards. Examples are future versions
of File Transfer, Access, and Management (FTAM), ISO/IEC 8571; the Message Oriented Text Interchange
Systems (MOTIS), ISO/IEC 10021 [also known as Message Handling System (MHS), CCITT Recommendation
X.400]. Thus, the IIF data format can become part of the application-oriented OSI communications protocols.
ISO/IEC 12088-4 provides the application program interface language binding for the C programming
language. The Image processing and interchange (IPI) functional specification, ISO/IEC 12087, upon which
this binding is based, first emerged as an International Standard in 1994. The functional description
of ISO/IEC 12087 is specified in a language independent manner and needs to be embedded in language
dependent layers (language bindings) for use with particular programming languages.
ISO/IEC 12089 defines the encoding rules that apply to representations of IPI-IIF image data. Due to the
fact that the syntax of the IPI-IIF data format definition, from ISO/IEC 12087-3, is expressed using Abstract
Syntax Notation One (ASN.1), ISO/IEC 12089 makes use of the Basic Encoding Rules (BER) for ASN.1.
Furthermore, ISO/IEC 12089 provides a rationale (in Clause 4) for the introduction of new encoding rules, in
addition to those defined by the BER, that provide support for heterogeneous pixel types within the context
of the IPI-IIF data format definition.
This document establishes the specific
...

ISO/IEC PRF 12087-5:2025(en)
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 24
Secretariat: BSI
Date: 2025-04-0807-01
Information technology — Image processing and interchange (IPI)
functional specification — —
Part 5:
Basic image interchange format (BIIF)
Technologies de l’information – — Spécification fonctionnelle pour le traitement de l’image et l’échange (IPI)
– —
Partie 5: Format d’échange de l’image de base (BIIF)
FDIS stage
ISO/IEC PRF 12087-5:2025(en)
© ISO/IEC 20242025
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication
may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO
at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
International Organization for Standardization
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax: [phone]
EmailE-mail: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.orgwww.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
© ISO/IEC 2025 – All rights reserved
ii
ISO/IEC12087IEC PRF 12087-5:2025(en)
Contents
Foreword . vi
Introduction . viii
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 2
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 4
4 Basic image interchange format (BIIF) specification . 10
5 Conformance profiles and extensions . 67
Annex A (normative) Transportable file structure . 70
Annex B (normative) Vector Quantization . 97
Annex C (normative) Profiling BIIF . 112
Annex D (informative) Implementation considerations and product configurations . 143
Annex E (informative) Examples of BIIF Profiles . 164
Bibliography . 182

Foreword . v
Introduction . vii
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 2
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations . 4
3.1 Definitions . 4
3.2 Abbreviations . 8
4 Basic Image Interchange Format (BIIF) specification . 9
4.1 Format overview . 9
4.1.1 Description . 10
4.1.2 Interoperability/exchange . 12
4.1.3 Fields . 12
4.1.4 Logical structure of pixel storage . 14
4.1.5 Common coordinate system. 15
4.1.6 Display and attachment levels . 16
4.2 Format . 18
4.2.1 Data recording formats . 19
4.2.2 Encoding . 19
4.2.3 Header . 20
4.2.4 Image segment . 28
4.2.5 Image data field format . 38
4.2.6 Symbol segment. 48
4.2.7 Text information segment . 51
4.2.8 Data extensions . 53
5 Conformance profiles and extensions . 59
5.1 BIIF profiles. 60
5.2 BIIF profile specific header/subheader dependencies pro forma . 60
5.3 Complexity level pro forma . 60
5.4 Implementation support requirements . 60
© ISO/IEC 20242025 – All rights reserved
iii
ISO/IEC PRF 12087-5:2025(en)
5.4.1 General support requirements . 61
5.4.2 Producing and interpreting BIIF files . 61
5.5 Defined extensions . 61
5.6 BIIF profile registration . 62
Annex A (normative) Transportable file structure . 63
A.1 Transportable file structure (TFS) . 63
A.1.1 TFS Commands . 63
A.1.2 TFS encoding . 64
A.1.3 TFS command flow . 65
A.2 TFS command formats . 65
A.2.1 TFS delimiter commands . 65
A.2.2 TFS descriptor commands . 68
A.2.3 Transport descriptor commands . 72
A.2.4 Transport profile descriptor commands . 72
A.2.5 Transport profile commands. 73
A.2.6 TFS escape command . 82
Annex B (normative) Vector Quantization . 83
B.1 Vector Quantized Data . 83
B.2 Quantization Process . 83
B.3 Reconstruction . 84
B.3.1 Spatial reconstruction . 85
B.3.2 Colour reconstruction . 86
B.3.3 Data elements . 87
B.4 File organization . 88
B.5 Definitions – image data section . 90
B.6 Definitions – BIIF header and image subheader . 91
Annex C (normative) Profiling BIIF . 92
C.1 Profiling process . 92
C.2 Profile pro forma . 92
C.2.1 Use of the model BIIF profile . 92
C.2.2 Rules for filling out the pro forma tables . 92
Annex D (informative) Implementation Considerations and Product Configurations . 123
D.1 Implementation considerations and product configurations . 123
D.2 TRE_OVERFLOW example . 123
D.3 Scope of implementation . 124
D.3.1 Creating headers and subheaders . 124
D.3.2 Character counts . 124
D.3.3 Data entry . 124
D.3.4 Tagged Record Extensions . 124
D.3.5 Out-of-bounds field values . 124
D.3.6 Use of images . 125
D.3.7 Use of text files . 125
D.3.8 File system constraints . 131
D.3.9 Security considerations .
...