Digital Geographic Information (DGI) has evolved into an essential element in the planning and conduct of civil and military operations.  The required data volume, demands, and data complexity dictate that multi-national agreements for digital data standards be established to assure compatibility.  In support of this aim, these standards define those aspects necessary to the exchange of DGI.

The type of data to be exchanged using these standards includes the digital representation of the following:

• Geographic feature geometry and feature attribute information;
• Information concerning the appearance and status of the Earth's surface and its features in the electromagnetic spectrum, e.g. radar, infra-red.