SOSI
SOSI (Samordnet Opplegg for Stedfestet Informasjon, the coordinated scheme for georeferenced information) is the Norwegian standard for how geographic information is described, structured and exchanged. It is a shared national language for map data: when municipalities, state agencies and private companies share map layers and property data, it is usually the SOSI standard that makes sure the data means the same thing to the sender and the receiver. SOSI is therefore a foundation under Norwegian matrikkel and map administration.
SOSI is two things at once. First, it is a set of technical standards, called product specifications, that describe which object types, attributes and codes apply to a given dataset, for example FKB (Felles kartdatabase, the common map database), land-use plans or utility networks. Second, it is a concrete file format, the SOSI format, that the data has historically been exchanged in. The standard is managed by Kartverket and maintained as part of the national geodata collaboration Norge digitalt, where the register of current specifications is openly available.
In practice, the product specifications matter most. They mean that a land-use plan drawn in one municipality can be read and understood in another, and that zoning plans, land-use purposes and consideration zones are coded the same way across the whole country. Plan data is delivered according to a national SOSI specification, which is what allows digital plan registers and map solutions to show plans from all municipalities in the same way. Property boundaries and building data in the matrikkel also follow SOSI modelling.
The SOSI file format itself is gradually being replaced by more modern, international formats such as GML and GeoJSON in exchange between systems, while ArcGIS, QGIS and other tools read Norwegian data through standardised services. Even so, SOSI remains the underlying data model and code set, and the standard is still what defines what Norwegian public geodata actually contains. If you work with map and property data, SOSI is therefore more a data model to understand than a file format you deal with every day.
Norwegian geodata following a common standard is not a given internationally, and it is an important reason why Norwegian land-use administration is so digitalised. The requirement that plans are delivered in the SOSI format is set out in the map and planning regulations, so that digital plan registers, building case systems and public access solutions can exchange data automatically. For a developer or adviser, this means that the same land-use purposes, consideration zones and provisions are recognised across municipalities and software, whether the data is shown in ArcGIS, QGIS or a specialist solution.
In Placepoint you meet SOSI indirectly: the map layers, property boundaries and plan information shown are built on data that is structured according to the SOSI standard at the public data owners, and brought together in one solution.
From Placepoint's dictionary: SOSI
More information: Geonorge: the SOSI standard, Geonorge: SOSI code lists for plans, Store norske leksikon: SOSI
English: SOSI (the Norwegian national standard for describing and exchanging geographic information).
Frequently asked questions
What is SOSI?
SOSI (Samordnet Opplegg for Stedfestet Informasjon) is the Norwegian standard for how geographic information is described, structured and exchanged. It is a shared language for Norwegian map data.
Is SOSI a file format or a standard?
Both. It is a set of technical standards (product specifications) that describe object types and codes for datasets such as FKB and land-use plans, and a concrete SOSI file format that the data has historically been exchanged in.
Who manages SOSI?
Kartverket, as part of the national geodata collaboration Norge digitalt. Current specifications are openly available in a register at Geonorge.
Why does SOSI matter for land-use plans?
Because zoning plans, land-use purposes and consideration zones are coded the same way across the whole country, following a national SOSI specification. That allows digital plan registers to show plans from all municipalities in the same way.
Is the SOSI format still used?
The file format itself is gradually being replaced by GML and GeoJSON in data exchange, but SOSI remains the underlying data model and code set for Norwegian public geodata.