The development of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) represents a critical advancement in the management and accessibility of geospatial data, facilitating informed decision-making across sectors such as government administration, environmental monitoring, and urban planning { (Rajabifard and Williamson 2003), (Rajabifard and Williamson 2002), (Nebert 2001)}.In the context of Armenia, establishing a robust NSDI is particularly important, given the country's need to modernize its spatial data infrastructure and align with international standards, such as the European INSPIRE Directive (European Commission, 2007).One of the key components of this effort is the standardization of spatial data layers, which is essential for ensuring the effective use of data in various applications ranging from urban planning to environmental protection and resource management.This research focuses on developing a methodology for the standardization of basic layers in Armenia's NSDI, which are critical for the country's geospatial data infrastructure.These basic layers include administrative boundaries, real estate data (cadastral data), land valuation, property rights, land use (land cover), addresses, geographical names, surface water data, elevation models, relief, and transport infrastructure.Standardizing these layers involves creating consistent and interoperable datasets that can be utilized across various sectors, including land administration, environmental monitoring, disaster management, and infrastructure planning.The proposed methodology follows best practices outlined in international frameworks such as the INSPIRE Directive (European Parliament and Council, 2007), the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards (ISO, 2002), and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards (OGC, 2020), ensuring that the basic spatial data layers adhere to both national and international interoperability requirements.The methodology developed in this study consists of four key stages: (1) Data Collection and Preparation-gathering raw spatial data from a variety of sources, including orthophotos and existing topographic maps, to ensure comprehensive and up-to-date information; (2) Attribute Definition-establishing the mandatory attributes for basic spatial data layers based on NSDI standards for Armenia, ensuring completeness, consistency, and interoperability with other datasets {(Nogueras-Iso, Zarazaga, and Muro-Medrano 2005), (Tth et al. 2012), (Hadzilakos et al. 2000) }; (3) Data Structuring and Conversion-transforming raw data into standardized formats such as vector and raster formats, ensuring compatibility with NSDI requirements, and using standardized coordinate systems and metadata formats {(Heimovi, Marasovic, and Tavra 2014), (Rao et al. 2002)}; (4) Data Integration-combining basic spatial data layers with each other, such as administrative boundaries, land use, surface water, elevation models, and other relevant data, to create a cohesive and interoperable spatial database that can be used for multi-disciplinary applications.By following these stages, the research aims to contribute to the successful implementation of standardized and accessible basic spatial data layers within Armenia's NSDI framework.This approach not only aims to meet Armenia's national standards but also aligns with international initiatives for spatial data infrastructure development, ultimately enhancing the quality and availability of basic spatial data layers for a wide range of applications {(Craglia and Annoni 2006), (Kotsev et al.
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