To better classify and manage your layers, the following categories must be chosen for each layer:
Biota
Flora and/or fauna in natural environment
Examples: Wildlife, vegetation, biological sciences, ecology, wilderness, sealife, wetlands, habitat
Boundaries
Legal land descriptions, maritime boundaries.
Examples: Political and administrative boundaries, territorial seas, EEZ, port security zones
Climatology Meteorology Atmosphere
Processes and phenomena of the atmosphere.
Examples: Cloud cover, weather, climate, atmospheric conditions, climate change, precipitation
Disaster
Information related to disasters.
Examples: Site of the disaster, evacuation zone, disaster-prevention facility, disaster relief activities
Economy
Economic activities, conditions and employment.
Examples: Production, labour, revenue, commerce, industry, tourism and ecotourism, forestry, fisheries, commercial or subsistence hunting, exploration and exploitation of resources such as minerals, oil and gas
Elevation
Height above or below a vertical datum.
Examples: Altitude, bathymetry, digital elevation models, slope, derived products
Environment
Environmental resources, protection and conservation. Examples: Environmental pollution, waste storage and treatment, environmental impact assessment, monitoring environmental risk, nature reserves, landscape
Extra Terrestrial
Region more than 100 km above the surface of the Earth
Farming
High-level geographic data thematic classification to assist in the grouping and search of available geographic data sets.
Examples: Agriculture, irrigation, aquaculture, plantations, herding, pests and diseases affecting crops and livestock
Geoscientific Information
Information pertaining to earth sciences.
Examples: Geophysical features and processes, geology, minerals, sciences dealing with the composition, structure and origin of the earth’s rocks, risks of earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, gravity information, soils, permafrost, hydrogeology, erosion
Health
Health, health services, human ecology, and safety.
Examples: Disease and illness, factors affecting health, hygiene, substance abuse, mental and physical health, health services
Imagery Base Maps Earth Cover
Base maps. Examples:
Land cover, topographic maps, imagery, unclassified images, annotations
Inland Waters
Inland water features, drainage systems and their characteristics.
Examples: Rivers and glaciers, salt lakes, water utilization plans, dams, currents, floods, water quality, hydrologic information
Intelligence Military
Military bases, structures, activities.
Examples: Barracks, training grounds, military transportation, information collection
Location
Positional information and services.
Examples: Addresses, geodetic networks, control points, postal zones and services, place names
Oceans
Features and characteristics of salt water bodies (excluding inland waters).
Examples: Tides, tsunamis, coastal information, reefs
Planning & Cadastre
Information used for appropriate actions for future use of the land.
Examples: Land use maps, zoning maps, cadastral surveys, land ownership
Society
Characteristics of society and cultures.
Examples: Settlements, anthropology, archaeology, education, traditional beliefs, manners and customs, demographic data, recreational areas and activities, social impact assessments, crime and justice, census information
Structure
Man-made construction.
Examples: Buildings, museums, churches, factories, housing, monuments, shops, towers
Transportation
Means and aids for conveying persons and/or goods.
Examples: Roads, airports/airstrips, shipping routes, tunnels, nautical charts, vehicle or vessel location, aeronautical charts, railways
Utilities & Communication
Energy, water and waste systems and communications infrastructure and services.
Examples: Hydroelectricity, geothermal, solar and nuclear sources of energy, water purification and distribution, sewage collection and disposal, electricity and gas distribution, data communication, telecommunication, radio, communication networks
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