Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Amir Rashidi Kordgheshlaghi ¹
• Gholamreza Fallahi ²
• Amirhossein Amiri ¹

¹ Geomatics engineering, Faculty of Civil, Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid beheshti university, Tehran, Iran

² Faculty of Civil, Water, and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This study deals with the absence of a uniform global scale for spatial data infrastructure (SDI) maturity assessment, and presents a five-layer holographic conceptual framework derived from a systematic literature review and evaluation of metadata. The literature review identified key maturity models—NGDA , ANZLIC , INSPIRE , SDIOGI , and hierarchical perspectives (Building Block and Umbrella)—alongside metadata standards ISO 19115/19139, FGDC , Dublin Core, and GEMET. The methodology comprises four phases: First, selecting twenty seminal articles from Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and ScienceDirect; second, screening studies via inclusion/exclusion criteria; third, extracting and coding dimensions and indicators into detailed tables; and then conducting a comparative matrix synthesis. Based on a systematic review of SDI maturation models, we identified five core dimensions - organizational, political, technical, qualities and human resources - common across a leading framework. We integrated these into a new five-layer hollow conceptual framework, centers quality and continuous improvement to drive adaptive, feedback-driven maturation. By utilizing established best practices and international standards (e.g. Inspire, ISO 19115), this entirely conceptual model requires no field data, and offers athletes and decision makers a pragmatic tool for strategic planning and results monitoring. It establishes a universal goal for SDI maturity assessment and paves the way for future empirical validation across different contexts.

Keywords

• Maturity Assessment
• Conceptual Framework
• Metadata Standards
• Continuous Improvement