INSPIRE Schema Updates
In 2015, all INSPIRE application schemas were updated to align with changes in the INSPIRE Implementing Rules and the Technical Guidelines, resulting in many major version updates (v3.x to v4.0).
Fast forward to February 2024, and the release of a number of major version INSPIRE application schema updates (v4.x to v5.0) has been announced. The first major version update in nearly a decade.
Major version updates can include breaking changes that are not backwards compatible. Examples of breaking changes are the removal of mandatory properties or the changing of type or property names. This means that data harmonized using v4.0 schemas, which currently have a v5.0 available, must be re-transformed using an updated transformation project to be compliant against the latest version of the schema.
Breaking changes have also been introduced to v4.0 schemas, although no major version change was made. One example of this is the INSPIRE Planned Land Use (PLU) v4.0 schema- the existing schema was updated with a breaking change that requires an updated transformation project, re-transformation and re-publishing of related resources and services. The Planned Land Use v4.0 schema update is relevant for all implementers harmonizing XPlanung data.
The Joint Research Commission (JRC) has indicated that the new schema versions will be used in the 2025 Monitoring.
The official INSPIRE Validator has incorporated the new schema versions; currently data which is compliant against older schema versions will validate against the test "Validation against declared schema" in the Conformance Class INSPIRE GML application schemas, however it will not validate against the "Validation against INSPIRE official schema" test in the theme-specific conformance classes that have experienced a schema update, for example Conformance Class 'GML application schema, Protected Sites.
“What do I do now?”
The first step in the schema update process is to determine whether the schema updates affect the data you have harmonized or are planning to harmonize.
The table below lists the schemas that were updated and a description of the changes that were made. Additionally, the latest schema version is provided:
INSPIRE Schema Updates 2024
| Schema | Change description | Change Type | Latest version |
|---|---|---|---|
| ad | Changed the datatype for the "building" association of the Address feature type. | non-breaking change | v4.1 |
| au | Removed enumeration from schema and changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| BaseTypes.xsd | Removed VerticalPositionValue enumeration from BaseTypes schema. | breaking change | v4.0 |
| ef | Added a new attribute "thematicId" to the spatial object type AbstractMonitoringObject. | non-breaking change | v4.1 |
| el-cov | Changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| ElevationBaseTypes.xsd | Removed enumeration from schema. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| el-tin | Changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| el-vec | Removed enumeration from schema and changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| hh | Added new attributes to the EnvHealthDeterminantMeasure feature type, added new feature types, and removed some data types. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| hy | Updated to version 5.0 since the schema imports the hy-p schema that was updated to version 5 | non-breaking change | v5.0 |
| hyp | Changed the data type of the geometry attribute of the DrainageBasin feature type. | non-breaking and breaking changes | v5.0 |
| lcv | Added association role to the LandCoverUnit feature type. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| mu | Changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v4.0 |
| nz-core | Removed enumeration from schema and changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| ObservableProperties.xsd | Removed enumeration from schema and changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v4.0 |
| pf | Changed the definition of the ProductionInstallation feature type. | non-breaking change | v4.1 |
| plu | Fixed the typo in the attribute "backgroudMapURI" of the data type BackgroundMapValue. | breaking change | v4.0.1 |
| ps | Fixed typo in inspireId, added a new attribute, and moved attributes to data type. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| sr | Changed the stereotype of the ShoreSegment object from featureType to datatype. | breaking change | v4.0.1 |
| su-vector | Added a new attribute StatisticalUnitType to the VectorStatisticalUnit feature type | non-breaking change | v4.1 |
| tn | Removed enumeration from schema and changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| tn-a | Changed the datatype for the "controlTowers" association of the AerodromeNode feature type. | non-breaking change | v4.1 |
| tn-ra | Removed enumerations from schema and changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| tn-ro | Removed enumerations from schema and changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| tn-w | Removed the abstract stereotype for the TrafficSeparationScheme feature type. Removed enumerations from schema and changed encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | non-breaking and breaking changes | v5.0 |
| us-govserv | Updated the version of the imported us-net-common schema (from 4.0 to 5.0) | breaking change | v5.0 |
| us-net-common | Defined datatype for the authorityRole attribute. Change encoding of the attributes that refer to enumerations. | breaking change | v5.0 |
| us-net-el | Updated the version of the imported us-net-common schema (from 4.0 to 5.0) | breaking change | v5.0 |
| us-net-ogc | Updated the version of the imported us-net-common schema (from 4.0 to 5.0) | breaking change | v5.0 |
| us-net-sw | Updated the version of the imported us-net-common schema (from 4.0 to 5.0) | breaking change | v5.0 |
| us-net-th | Updated the version of the imported us-net-common schema (from 4.0 to 5.0) | breaking change | v5.0 |
| us-net-wa | Updated the version of the imported us-net-common schema (from 4.0 to 5.0) | breaking change | v5.0 |
Included in the v2024.1 schema release are many schemas which had enumerations removed. Enumerations were retired and changed into codelists, resulting in breaking changes for schemas which used enumerations.
INSPIRE schema change proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis, and updates can occur at any time. It’s a good idea to check the INSPIRE-MIF application schemas GitHub repository on a regular basis to check the status of on-going schema change proposals.
The hale»connect platform will be updated to include the new INSPIRE application schema versions on June 21, 2024. Once available, users will be able to select v5.0 schemas when creating a new schema.
Recommendations and Webinar
We strongly recommend users to begin to:
- use the updated schemas on hale»connect for new datasets
- create new schemas for existing datasets and update the feature types in the theme
- use the updated schemas in hale»studio for new transformation projects
- update any existing transformation projects to use the updated schemas. The updated schemas are already available for use in hale»studio.
wetransform will offer a webinar on June 12th at 10:00 AM CET which will walk users step-by-step through the transformation project update process from INSPIRE application schema v4.0 to v5.0. The webinar will also cover updating online transformation workflows on hale»connect. Sign up here!
There is also a new tutorial focused on schema updates!
For more information, please contact us.