On March 19, 2026, the 18th Spirgarten Gathering took place at the Hotel Spirgarten in Zurich-Altstetten—one of the most established professional events in the Swiss geoinformation community focused on the Geoinformation Switzerland strategy and GeoStandards.ch. Around 55 participants from government agencies, universities, and the private sector exchanged views on current developments in geostandards, data infrastructures, and new technologies. In the second part, SOGI and its GGMM specialist group took over as moderators—with three presentations and a new addition to the team.

The presentation can be downloaded from the INTERLIS website.

Part One: Updates from KGK, KOGIS, and GeoStandards.ch

Prior to the SOGI session, representatives from KGK, KOGIS/swisstopo, and moflex provided updates on current developments:

Melanie Sütterlin (KGK) presented the new KGK Action Plan 2026–2027 and reported on updates to geodienste.ch—including a revised validation process, the expansion of the STAC API, and the newly available IFC export function (official surveying data now available as an IFC download).

Patrick Ibele, Pasquale Di Donato, and Hans-Ueli Wiedmer (KOGIS/swisstopo) presented figures on geo.admin.ch (2025: over 66 million clicks, +17%) and introduced the new portal SWISSGEO, which is intended to consolidate Switzerland’s spatial data in one place in the future. In addition, the ongoing simplification of the INSPIRE Directive at the EU level was discussed.

Stefan Henrich (moflex) reported on the completion of ili2py (INTERLIS data models as Python classes) and progress in standardizing data validation. Furthermore, the requirements specification for the future INTERLIS Model Composer (IMC) was presented—a web-based, modular development environment primarily designed to support the work of the Functional Information Groups (FIG).

Raphaëlle Arnaud (swisstopo) provided information on the implementation of eCH-0271, the new Swiss profile for geometadata, which has been legally established since 2025.

Part Two: SOGI/GGMM – New Leadership and Three Presentations

The GGMM (Geostandards and Model-Based Methods Group) introduced its new co-chairs: Jens Ingensand (HEIG-VD), Lukas Schildknecht (FHNW), and Carmen Theiler (geowerkstatt) are jointly taking over the leadership of the specialist group, which develops the fundamentals of geostandards, further develops the model-based method (INTERLIS), and monitors international geostandardization. Contact and further information: ggmm@sogi.ch / sogi.ch.

ConvConf – Automated Conversion Between INTERLIS Models

Sepp Dorfschmid presented ConvConf, an innovative approach to interoperable geodata: senders and receivers each describe their data using their own logical model (LM), which refers to a common conceptual model (CM). ConvConf automatically derives the necessary conversion from these models—without the two sides needing to be coordinated. A working prototype demonstrates the feasibility. The benefits would be significant: less conversion effort, shorter development times, and lower costs. Dorfschmid is seeking feedback from the community as well as a viable financing and operating model. Feedback: do@adasys.ch.

Apache Hop as an Open-Source Alternative to FME

Stefan F. Keller (FH OST) presented Apache Hop as a true open-source alternative to proprietary geodata integration tools such as FME. The tool is 100% open source (Apache License), has been in development since the early 2000s (Kettle, GeoKettle), and now boasts a growing ecosystem of GIS plugins—including INTERLIS Input, Ilivalidator, OGR Input/Output, and Geometry Inspector (all newly developed in 2025/26). Keller’s conclusion: Apache Hop will be ready for productive use in GIS projects by 2026. For FME users, the switch represents a change in culture and architectural model—but according to Keller, a worthwhile one.

GeoBIM – Current Developments

Lukas Schildknecht (FHNW) provided a comprehensive overview of the state of GeoBIM in Switzerland. The focus was on:

The cs2bim transformation service (open source) is now integrated into geodienste.ch: Geodata from the Official Survey is available for the first time as an IFC download—an important step for BIM planning in Switzerland. SGS Action 3-26-1 is dedicated to the systematic identification of challenges and gaps in the GeoBIM sector, in collaboration with KGK, swisstopo, and SOGI. Concurrently, SOGI’s agile GeoBIM group is commencing its work. A concrete language extension of INTERLIS for 3D geometry types is also planned for 2026. A pilot project by the Canton of Basel-Landschaft already demonstrates how BIM data (IFC) can be integrated into a 3D GIS viewer (3d.geo.bl.ch).

Save the Date: 19th Spirgarten Gathering

The 19th Spirgarten Gathering will take place on Thursday, March 18, 2027, once again at the Hotel Spirgarten in Zurich-Altstetten.