The paper presents a Norwegian standardization project from 2008 to 2011 where the main output was an application schema describing geotechnical borehole data including the most common sounding and sampling methods, in situ tests and laboratory tests. The schema defines a reference structure for underground observations, suitable for at least three different user cases: Site investigations on land, offshore gravity coring and offshore borehole mode. The Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) has approved the schema and included it in the national feature catalog, a vital part of the Norwegian Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI).

The standard is a result of contributions and teamwork from several organizations, including the Norwegian Geotechnical Society (NGF), a member of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMG). The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) has used the schema to implement a Geographic Information System (GIS), which has improved the availability and possibility for reuse of borehole data.