ISO/TR 19175:2025

Geographic information - Gap analysis of geospatial standards for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation

The objective of this document is to analyse gaps in geospatial standards for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation. This document is intended to be used by designers, developers and providers of outdoor or indoor navigation services. This document: a) specifies the concepts for the indoor-outdoor seamless navigation; b) outlines conceptual architecture and scenarios (or use-cases) for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation; c) analyses the gap of the current geospatial standards for implementing the indoor-outdoor seamless navigation; d) highlights standardization items to be proceeded to get more interoperability.

Information géographique — Analyse des écarts des normes géospatiales pour la navigation continue intérieure-extérieure

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 11-Jun-2025
• ICS: 33.070.40 - Satellite
• ICS: 35.240.70 - IT applications in science
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 211 - Geographic information/Geomatics
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 211 - Geographic information/Geomatics
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 12-Jun-2025
• Due Date: 16-Jan-2025
• Completion Date: 12-Jun-2025

Relations

• Consolidates: ISO 10074:2021 - Anodizing of aluminium and its alloys - Specification for hard anodic oxidation coatings on aluminium and its alloys
• Effective Date: 22-Jun-2024

Overview - ISO/TR 19175:2025 (Geographic information)

ISO/TR 19175:2025 is a Technical Report that performs a gap analysis of geospatial standards for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation. It is intended for designers, developers and providers of outdoor and indoor navigation services. The report:

• Specifies core concepts for seamless indoor-outdoor navigation.
• Outlines a conceptual architecture and practical scenarios / use-cases.
• Analyses gaps in existing geospatial standards that hinder implementation.
• Highlights standardization items to improve data and service interoperability.

Keywords: indoor-outdoor seamless navigation, geospatial standards, indoor maps, indoor positioning references, interoperability.

Key technical topics and requirements

ISO/TR 19175 surveys the technical elements needed to support continuous navigation between outdoor and indoor environments. Major topics include:

• Indoor-outdoor map concepts: definitions of indoor maps, indoor-outdoor maps, and required map content for seamless representation across building boundaries.
• Indoor positioning references and infrastructure: terminology and the nature of positioning references (e.g., Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth beacons) needed to support indoor positioning where GNSS is unreliable.
• Indoor networks and routing: structure and semantics for indoor pathways, nodes, and POIs to enable route planning and guidance across floors and between building interiors and outdoor networks.
• Conceptual architecture and use-cases: recommended high-level architecture and scenario-driven requirements for smooth handover of position, routing and context between outdoor and indoor systems.
• Gap analysis of current standards: identification of missing or inconsistent coverage in existing geospatial and ITS standards that affect interoperability.
• Interoperability recommendations: prioritized standardization items (data models, interfaces, context exchange) needed to achieve consistent end-to-end navigation.

Practical applications and target users

ISO/TR 19175 supports practical deployment of location-aware services. Typical applications:

• Indoor-outdoor wayfinding in airports, shopping malls, transit hubs, campuses and hospitals
• First-responder and emergency navigation across building boundaries
• Location-based services, asset tracking and logistics that traverse indoor and outdoor spaces
• Augmented reality and robotics needing accurate continuous positioning

Primary users:

• GIS and indoor mapping professionals
• Navigation system designers and software developers
• ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) vendors and integrators
• Facility managers and location-based service providers
• Standards bodies and policy makers focused on interoperability

Related standards (as referenced)

Standards cited or relevant in the report include:

• ISO 17438 (indoor positioning / ITS)
• ISO 19164 (indoor features / indoor maps)
• ISO 21217 (ITS station architecture)
• ISO 19101-1 and other ISO/TC 211 standards for geographic information

For implementers, ISO/TR 19175:2025 is a practical roadmap to prioritize standardization efforts and align indoor and outdoor geospatial data, positioning references and interfaces to enable truly seamless navigation.

Standards Content (Sample)

Technical
Report
ISO/TR 19175
First edition
Geographic information — Gap
2025-06
analysis of geospatial standards for
indoor-outdoor seamless navigation
Information géographique — Analyse des écarts des normes
géospatiales pour la navigation continue intérieure-extérieure
Reference number
© ISO 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
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 1
3.1 Terms and definitions .1
3.2 Abbreviated terms .3
4 Indoor-outdoor seamless navigation . . 4
4.1 Overview .4
4.2 Indoor navigation .4
4.3 Issues for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation .5
4.4 Requirements for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation .5
5 Conceptual architecture for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation . 6
5.1 Overview .6
5.2 Use case development .7
6 Gap analysis .10
6.1 Overview .10
6.2 Indoor-Outdoor Map Specification for Indoor-Outdoor Navigation .11
6.3 Guide for the integration of indoor and outdoor data for indoor-outdoor navigation . 12
6.4 Data Model of Indoor-Outdoor Positioning References. 12
6.5 Guide for context information exchange for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation . 13
7 Applications examples of indoor-outdoor seamless navigation .13
8 Summary and Recommendation . 14
Bibliography .15

iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely
with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
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 ISO 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).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes 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 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. ISO 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
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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.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 211, Geographic Information/Geomatics,in
collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 287,
Geographic information, in accordance with the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN
(Vienna Agreement).
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.

iv
Introduction
With the spread of nomadic and mobile devices such as smart phones, and the rapid expansion of indoor
spaces, many of the services and facilities related to the transport system have become accessible to indoor
spaces. Consequently, indoor-outdoor seamless navigation is becoming more important as an extension of
existing navigations. For indoor or outdoor navigation, there are several standardization activities which
could improve interoperability of data and services.

v
Technical Report ISO/TR 19175:2025(en)
Geographic information — Gap analysis of geospatial
standards for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation
1 Scope
The objective of this document is to analyse gaps in geospatial standards for indoor-outdoor seamless
navigation. This document is intended to be used by designers, developers and providers of outdoor or
indoor navigation services.
This document:
a) specifies the concepts for the indoor-outdoor seamless navigation;
b) outlines conceptual architecture and scenarios (or use-cases) for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation;
c) analyses the gap of the current geospatial standards for implementing the indoor-outdoor seamless
navigation;
d) highlights standardization items to be proceeded to get more interoperability.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1.1
feature
abstraction of real-world phenomena
Note 1 to entry: A feature can occur as a type or an instance. Feature type or feature instance will be used when only
one is meant.
[SOURCE: ISO 19101-1:2014, 4.1.11]
3.1.2
indoor entity feature
feature (3.1.1) constructed as indoor architectural components or features attached for a specific use inside
a building
EXAMPLE Windows, doors, furniture and facilities are indoor entity features.
[SOURCE: ISO 19164:2024, 3.5]
3.1.3
indoor space feature
feature (3.1.1) that contains indoor entity features (3.1.2) or is used as a place for a specific purpose inside a
building, or both
EXAMPLE Rooms, balconies and pathways are indoor space features.
[SOURCE: ISO 19164:2024, 3.6]
3.1.4
indoor map
portrayal of an indoor entity feature (3.1.2) and indoor space features (3.1.3) as a digital image or vector file
suitable for display on a computer screen
[SOURCE: ISO 19164:2024, 3.7]
3.1.5
indoor-outdoor map
portrayal of seamless interconnected entity features and space features between indoor and outdoor
environments as a digital image or vector file suitable for display on a computer screen
3.1.6
nomadic device
ND
implementation of a personal ITS station which provides communication connectivity via equipment such as
cellular telephones, mobile wireless broadband (WIMAX, HC-SDMA, etc.), WiFi etc. and includes short range
links, such as Bluetooth®, Zigbee, etc. to connect portable devices to the motor vehicle communications
system network
Note 1 to entry: Bluetooth is an example of a suitable product available commercially. This information is given for the
convenience of users of this document and does not constitute an endorsement by ISO of this product.
[SOURCE: ISO 23795-2:2024, 3.1.1, modified — "portable" has been removed from "portable equipment,"
"wireless communication network (3G, 4G, and 5G)" has been removed, "WiFi" has been added, "such as
IEEE 802.11x" has been replaced by "such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc." A new Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.1.7
indoor navigation
navigation provided in indoor space
3.1.8
ITS station
ITS-S
entity in a communication network, comprised of application, facilities, networking and access layer
components specified in ISO 21217 that operate within a bounded secure management domain
[SOURCE: ISO 13184-2:2016, 3.5]
3.1.9
personal/vehicle ITS station
P/V-ITS-S
ITS station implemented in a vehicle or mobile device
Note 1 to entry: 'mobile device' is replaced by the term 'nomadic device' (3.1.6) to assure the consistency in this
document.
[SOURCE: ISO 17438-2:2024, 3.1.5, modified — "personal mobile device" has been replaced by "nomadic
device" in the definition. "Note 1 to entry" has been added.]

3.1.10
roadside ITS station, R-ITS-S
system that receives and processes vehicular and pedestrian information within a certain zone
Note 1 to entry: The system is installed at the roadside.
[SOURCE: ISO 17438-2:2024, 3.1.8, modified — "and determines the situation, in order to provide the safety
warning and parking guide service to vehicles and pedestrians" has been removed from the definition.]
3.1.11
central ITS station, central ITS-S, C-ITS-S
implementation of an ITS-S in a central ITS subsystem
[SOURCE: ISO 17438-4:2019, 3.1.6]
3.1.12
indoor positioning
determination of a location in an indoor space
[SOURCE: ISO 17438-4:2019, 3.1.7]
3.1.13
indoor positioning infrastructure
infrastructure used to determine locations of personal/vehicle ITS stations (P/V-ITS-S) in an indoor space
EXAMPLE Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.
[SOURCE: ISO 17438-4:2019, 3.1.11]
3.1.14
indoor positioning reference
information to support indoor positioning
EXAMPLE A good example of an indoor positioning reference is information about indoor positioning
infrastructure. For Wi-Fi based positioning, the indoor positioning infrastructure information includes the Wi-Fi APs
information, such as location, SSID, and RSSI values of APs.
Note 1 to entry: Detailed specifications and contents of indoor positioning references depend on the specific
indoor positioning technologies.
[SOURCE: ISO 17438-2:2024, 3.1.12, modified — Example 1 and Example 2 have been combined into a single
Example.]
3.1.15
indoor navigation data
data needed for indoor navigation, which includes indoor maps (3.1.4) and indoor positioning infrastructure
information
[SOURCE: ISO 17438-4:2019, 3.1.13]
3.2 Abbreviated terms
C-ITS-S central ITS station
GML geography markup language
GNSS global navigation satellite system
IFC industry foundation classes
IFM indoor feature model
ITS intelligent transport systems
ITS-S ITS station
OGC open geospatial consortium
P/V-ITS-S personal/vehicle ITS station
POI point of interest
R-ITS-S roadside ITS station
4 Indoor-outdoor seamless navigation
4.1 Overview
In general, navigation refers to outdoor navigation, which involves route planning from the starting point to
the destination and providing guidance for users to reach their destination based on their current location. To
offer this as a service, a node-link road network, including weight values used for background mapping and
route searching, as well as spatial data in the form of points of interest (POI), are constructed and utilized.
For route searching and guidance in outdoor navigation, the user's location is typically determined using
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based location determination methods, which are widely used.
4.2 Indoor navigation
Indoor navigation refers to navigation within indoor spaces where location determination using GNSS is
challenging (see ISO 17438-1). Various indoor positioning methods can be used to determine the user's
location in areas with poor GNSS signal quality, and some of these methods include proximity detection,
[2]
triangulation, dead reckoning, fingerprinting, and multilateration.
To enable indoor positioning, information about the positioning infrastructure needs to be pre-established,
and this varies in definition and configuration depending on the indoor positioning method. In this
document, such information is referred to as indoor positioning references.
In the same manner as outdoor navigation, when navigating within indoor areas, it is essential to have
background maps for indoor spaces, indoor networks, indoor POIs, and indoor positioning references. These
components collectively support seamless indoor navigation (see ISO 17438-3):
— The background map in an indoor navigation system serves as the base layer, providing the fundamental
visual guide for users by displaying a detailed image of the indoor space on the user's device, aligned
with a specific geographic area within that space. It ensures an effective and accurate representation of
the physical environment.
— Indoor networks, depicted in route network maps, offer a comprehensive guide for navigation through
interconnected pathways within indoor spaces, including details about paths, points of interest, and
dynamic features like permissible directions and access times.
— POIs are notable locations or features marked for special consideration within indoor maps, such as
rooms, areas, objects, or facilities. They are linked to specific locations within indoor nodes or semantic
space, aiding users in navigating and locating specific destinations.
— Indoor positioning references, which encompass signal sources, beacons, or other positioning technologies,
play a crucial role in accurately determining the user's location within indoor environments, facilitating
precise navigation.
4.3 Issues for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation
Indoor-outdoor seamless navigation refers to the continuous provision of navigation services seamlessly
transitioning between outdoor and indoor environments. Providing uninterrupted navigation between
outdoor and indoor areas is challenging for the following two reasons.
— Disruption in continuous positioning due to different positioning methods: indoor navigation requires
various methods, including signals and imagery, to determine the user's location. This leads to differences
in how indoor positioning is provided, with the need to request location determination from indoor
positioning servers or obtain indoor positioning references from servers to determine the location of
user's device. These variations in positioning methods of user device make it difficult to continuously
determine the user's location.
— Disruption in route guidance due to the absence of continuous maps encompassing indoor areas: indoor
maps, including indoor networks, are distinct from outdoor maps and are often segmented into separate
maps for individual indoor spaces, sometimes even on different floors of the same building.
4.4 Requirements for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation
Unlike outdoor maps that typically do not include indoor maps, to achieve continuous route searching and
guidance, requests need to be made to servers that provide this information, resulting in a need for seamless
indoor-outdoor seamless navigation. To fulfil this requirement, the following criteria need to be met:
a) Continuous positioning of the user's device needs to be achievable across indoor and outdoor spaces.
Typically, positioning for navigation can be performed either on the user's device (client-based
positioning) or remotely by a positioning server (server-based positioning);
— client-based positioning: when positioning is performed on the user's device, indoor-outdoor
positioning reference information needs to be transmitted to the user's device, which then uses it to
determine its own location. In this case, continuous positioning across indoor and outdoor areas can
be implemented in various ways based on the user device 's discretion
— server-based positioning: when positioning is performed remotely on a server, the information
acquired by the device for positioning is transmitted to the server, which determines the location
of user's device and forwards the result back to the user's device. In this scenario, continuous
positioning across indoor and outdoor areas can be implemented in various ways based on the
server's judgment;
b) Continuous reference to indoor and outdoor maps needs to be possible for indoor-outdoor seamless
navigation. Similar to user device positioning for navigation, route searching and guidance can also be
performed either on the user's device (client-based routing & guidance) or remotely by a routing server
(server-based routing and guidance);
— client-based routing and guidance: when route searching and guidance are performed on the user's
device, indoor-outdoor maps, including indoor-outdoor networks, must be transmitted to the user's
device, which then uses them to search for routes. In this case, the continuous utilization of indoor-
outdoor maps can be implemented in various ways on the user's device;
— server-based routing and guidance: when route searching and guidance are performed remotely on
a server, the server is provided with information about the device's origin, destination, or current
location, and it searches for routes accordingly. The result of route and guidance information are
then transmitted back to the user's device. In this scenario, the integrated use of indoor-outdoor
maps can be implemented in various ways based on the server's map processing methods.

5 Conceptual architecture for indoor-outdoor seamless navigation
5.1 Overview
The conceptual architecture for the indoor-outdoor seamless navigation is as follows. The conceptual
architecture extends the indoor navigation architecture proposed in ISO 17438-1 to indoor-outdoor
seamless navigation.
Key
1 personal ITS station — mobile subsystem component
2 central ITS station — central subsystem component
3 roadside ITS station — roadside subsystem component
4 indoor-outdoor positioning infrastructure — indoor-outdoor positioning subsystem component
5 indoor-outdoor data server — local data server component
6 indoor-outdoor data server registry — management subsystem component for indoor-outdoor map and indoor-
outdoor positioning reference data
7 indoor-outdoor map data provider — indoor-outdoor map gathering subsystem component
8 indoor-outdoor positioning reference data provider — indoor-outdoor positioning reference data gathering
subsystem component
9 indoor-outdoor navigation — function module for indoor navigation
Figure 1 — Conceptual Architecture for Indoor-Outdoor Seamless Navigation
By default, indoor-outdoor seamless navigation system architecture follows the existing ITS communication
architecture with additional indoor-outdoor seamless navigation functionality. Therefore, the following
three basic components are also included in the indoor-outdoor seamless navigation architecture:
— the mobile subsystem component (Personal ITS Station);
— the roadside subsystem component (Roadside ITS Station);
— the central subsystem component (Central ITS Station).

However, in the indoor-outdoor seamless navigation system, the personal ITS station shares the same
functionalities and roles from the perspective of a mobile user. To offer indoor navigation functionality,
additional necessary elements are defined as follows:
— the indoor-outdoor map data;
— the indoor-outdoor positioning reference data;
— the indoor-outdoor map data provider;
— the indoor-outdoor positio
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