A leaf is a cognised existence — an abstract concept that exists independently of any particular dataset. Classically, GIS might call these “feature classes”, but that is too simplistic. A cognised existence names what something is (an address, a building, a service), then describes how it is realised by one or more datasets — including the spatial access paths (join chains) needed to reach geometry.
Leaves are the finest-grained navigable unit in the SPHERE protocol.
Why Leaves?
The same concept often spans multiple datasets. “Services” can be realised through CVR (filtering on branchekode), OpenStreetMap (amenity tags), or BBR (building use codes). A leaf isolates the concept and maps it to all its realisations with the specific entities, join chains, and coordinate representations each provides.
How to Read a Leaf
Each leaf tells you:
| Section | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Concept | What this cognised existence is — its nature and significance |
| Question | What kind of question this leaf answers |
| Twig memberships | Every twig this concept is connected to in the SPHERE network, and its optional primary lens |
| Realisations | Which datasets implement this concept |
| Spatial Access Path | The join chain from concept to geometry (per realisation) |
| Alternative Representations | Different coordinate types for different use cases |
| Threads | The stated rationale for memberships that are not self-evident |
All Cognised Existence Leaves
Every leaf represents a cognised existence — an abstract concept realised by one or more datasets. Each documents the spatial access paths (join chains to geometry) per realisation:
| Leaf | Question it answers | Realisations |
|---|---|---|
| Addresses | Where is a property located by its official address? | DAR, OSM |
| Buildings | What buildings exist at a location? | BBR, GeoDanmark, OSM |
| Administrative Units | Which administrative area does a location belong to? | DAGI, OSM |
| Cadastral Parcels | What are the legal boundaries of land? | Matrikel, EJF |
| Geographical Names | What is the official name of a place? | Stednavne, OSM |
| Elevation | What is the elevation at a given location? | DHM |
| Orthoimagery | What does the Earth’s surface look like? | GeoDanmark, Copernicus |
| Population | How is the population distributed? | Person/CPR, DST |
| Transport Networks | What transport routes and networks exist? | GeoDanmark, OSM |
| Services and Amenities | What services or amenities are available at or near a location? | CVR, OSM, BBR |
| Bathing Water Quality | Is bathing water suitable and safe for human recreational use at this location and time? | Badevand analyse, kontrolstation, and stamdata datasets |
| Surface Freshwater Bodies | Which river, lake, wetland, or catchment is this location part of? | VP3 freshwater delimitation and hydrography datasets |
| Flood Hazard and Inundation | Which areas are exposed to flooding or inundation here, and under what scenario or return period? | Coastal inundation and flood directive datasets |
| Groundwater Bodies | Which groundwater body or aquifer is present here, and what status applies? | VP3 groundwater delimitation datasets |
| Groundwater Chemistry | What is the chemical status of groundwater in this area, and which substances drive trends or exceedances? | VP3 substance-specific groundwater chemistry and trends datasets |
| Marine and Coastal Waters | Which coastal or marine water body is this location part of, and what condition applies? | VP3 kystvande and marine ecology datasets |
| Aquaculture Sites | Where are aquaculture activities located, and what production or discharge characteristics are reported there? | Akvakultur and akvakulturanlæg datasets |
| Species Observations | Which species have been observed at this location, and when were they recorded? | Arter.dk and Naturdatabasen observation datasets |
| Habitat Extent | Which habitat and nature-type areas are mapped at this location? | Naturdatabasen, Biodiversitetskortet, and marine habitat extent datasets |
| Habitat Condition | What ecological condition or quality is reported for the habitat at this location? | Naturtilstand and biodiversity condition indicator datasets |
| Nature Protection Areas | Which nature protection designations or restrictions apply at this location? | Protected nature, watercourse, and protection-line datasets |
| Land Use and Agriculture | How is this area used agriculturally, and which land-use restrictions or management classes apply? | Land-use and agricultural management datasets |
| Fisheries Intensity | What fishing effort and gear activity occur in this marine area, and how does it relate to ecosystem pressure and regulation? | VP3 and NP3 fisheries effort datasets |
| Nautical Traffic | What vessel traffic patterns are present here, and how intense is maritime movement over time? | Maritime traffic intensity and harbor traffic datasets |
| Energy Infrastructure | Which energy infrastructures are present here, and what operational or planning constraints apply to them? | Wind, solar, electricity transmission, and gas infrastructure datasets |
| Planning and Zoning Decisions | Which planning or zoning decisions apply here, and what constraints do they impose? | Fingerplan and landzone planning datasets |
| Spill and Pollution Incidents | Which spill, contamination, or hazardous discharge signals are reported for this area? | Marine hazard and pollution indicator datasets |
| Coastal Erosion Risk | Where is coastal erosion risk highest, and how severe is the expected shoreline impact? | Coastal erosion and shoreline protection datasets |
| Hydrological Basin Delineations | Which basin or sub-basin does this location belong to in water-management planning? | VP3 basin and coastal catchment delineation datasets |
| Surface Flow Systems | How does water move and accumulate on the surface here, including depressions, flooding, and catchment context? | Bluespot, flooding, and catchment delineation datasets |
| Biodiversity Priority Indicators | How is this area prioritized for biodiversity action, and which indicators drive that priority? | Biodiversitetskortet prioritization and pressure indicator datasets |
| Species of Conservation Concern | Which protected or conservation-priority species are documented here? | Habitat directive and conservation-species datasets |
| Marine Spatial Infrastructure | Which marine installations or constrained-use structures are present in this sea area? | Sea-territory installation and marine constraints datasets |
| Protected Water Use Zones | Which protected-use water zones apply here, and what protection objective do they represent? | Drinking-water and shellfish protected-zone datasets |
| Subsurface Freshwater | What do boreholes reveal about subsurface freshwater chemistry and aquifer behavior here? | Borehole and groundwater chemistry datasets |
| Soil Properties | What soil types and near-surface soil properties characterize this area? | Soil type and texture mapping datasets |
| Geological Strata | Which geological strata and subsurface structures are present here, and how do they frame subsurface interpretation? | Geological strata and subsurface structure datasets |
| Atmospheric Deposition and Emissions | What atmospheric emissions and deposition loads are modeled for this area? | Gridded atmospheric deposition and emission datasets |
| Firms | What firm is this, as a legal registered entity? | CVR |
| Economic Activities | What economic activity does a business perform? | CVR, OSM, DST |
| Business Locations | Where does a business physically operate? | CVR, OSM, BBR |
| Ownership and Governance | Who owns, controls, or governs a firm? | CVR |
| Economics and Employment | What are the economic and employment characteristics of a firm or establishment? | CVR, DST |
| Property Valuation | What is the official assessed value of a property? | Ejendomsvurdering, Matrikel |
| Geodetic Control Points | Where are the geodetic control points, and what coordinates and accuracy do they define? | Fikspunkter |
| Historical Map Sheets | Which historical map sheet covers this location, and what cartographic source does it represent? | HistoriskeKortbladsinddelinger |
All Leaves by Sphere
A leaf is listed under every sphere it has a twig membership in.
Atmosphere
Biosphere
- Biodiversity Priority Indicators
- Economic Activities
- Environmental Noise & Air Transport
- Fisheries Intensity
- Forest Ecosystems & Management
- Habitat Condition
- Habitat Extent
- Natura 2000 & EU Biodiversity Directives
- Nature Protection Areas
- Species Observations
- Species of Conservation Concern
Hydrosphere
- Bathing Water Quality
- Coastal Erosion Risk
- Drinking Water & Water Source Protection
- Elevation
- Fisheries Monitoring & Management
- Flood Hazard and Inundation
- Groundwater Bodies
- Groundwater Chemistry
- Hydrological Basin Delineations
- Marine and Coastal Waters
- Spill and Pollution Incidents
- Subsurface Freshwater
- Surface Flow Systems
- Surface Freshwater Bodies
Geosphere
Anthroposphere
- Addresses
- Administrative Units
- Agricultural Land Management
- Aquaculture Sites
- Atmospheric Deposition and Emissions
- Bathing Water Quality
- Buildings
- Business Locations
- Cadastral Parcels
- Coastal Erosion Risk
- Drinking Water & Water Source Protection
- Economic Activities
- Economics and Employment
- Energy Infrastructure
- Environmental Noise & Air Transport
- Firms
- Fisheries Intensity
- Fisheries Monitoring & Management
- Flood Hazard and Inundation
- Forest Ecosystems & Management
- Geodetic Control Points
- Geographical Names
- Marine Spatial Infrastructure
- Natura 2000 & EU Biodiversity Directives
- Nature Protection Areas
- Nautical Traffic
- Ownership and Governance
- Planning and Zoning Decisions
- Population
- Property Valuation
- Protected Water Use Zones
- Services and Amenities
- Spatial Planning & Municipal Decisions
- Spill and Pollution Incidents
- Transport Infrastructure Networks
Reference Framework
Not in a sphere
See SPHERE for the protocol definition and architecture.