通过对标准化历史的回顾, 阐述了数据标准化在当今人类由工业社会向信息化社会迈进中的作用, 并根据全球信息高速公路建设对地学研究的挑战, 指出了信息化社会中数据标准对信息采集及信息共享的作用；依ISO/TC211对地理信息数据描述中元数据的建议, 通过对ISO及CEN标准的分析, 提出了建立我国元数据标准的基本思路, 对我国地理信息标准化的建设具有重要意义。

With reviewing the history of normalization, the authors have discussed the role of data nomalization from the viewpoint of industrialization society to informatization society, also according to the challenge of the global information highway establishment to geoscience research, pointed out the role of data standard to the information collection and information sharing in thc informatization society. According to the recommendation of ISO/ TC 211 work group to the metadata of geographic information description and the analysis of the ISO and CEN standards, they present a basic idea of how to estab lish the metadata standard in the country. The research would have a very important meaning for the geographic information normalization establishment.