Whats the difference between a specification and a standard?
A standard is a specification, but a specification is not necessarily a standard. In the context of geoprocessing, specifications (whether they are standards or not) are documents that describe protocols (e.g., TCP/IP), data encodings (e.g., GML), software interfaces, and other aspects of information and process sharing. They provide guidance to the software developer regarding software design and behavior. A standard is a specification that developers in numerous companies can use to ensure that their products “work together.” (In the context of geodata, specifications can describe content (e.g. ISO 19115 Metadata Content Standard), formats (e.g.
