At the federal level, COGIS is responsible for the further development and implementation of the federal government’s geoinformation strategy, the coordination of basic geodata and geoservices, and the promotion and implementation of a national geodata infrastructure. It develops and operates the federal geodata infrastructure as the basis for the archiving and publication of the geodata of the federal administration in the federal geoportal (www.geo.admin.ch).

Within swisstopo, COGIS supervises and coordinates ongoing projects relating to the Web, geoinformation systems, information technology and telecommunications.

COGIS is responsible for the following main tasks: 

• Securing the operation of a federal coordination centre empowered to issue directives and oriented on clients that is responsible for the further development and implementation of the federal government’s geoinformation strategy and for coordinating the activities of the federal administration in the areas of geoinformation and geoinformation systems. 
• Coordinating basic federal geodata and securing the organisational, legal, tariff-related and technical requirements for the distribution of basic geodata.
• Coordinating, developing, providing and operating the federal geodata infrastructure together with the federal geoportal, and providing the associated services to the entire federal administration.
• Promotion of the implementation of the national geodata infrastructure and coordination of the associated activities with Swiss (cantons, municipalities and involved organisations) and international partners.
• Supervision and coordination of ongoing swisstopo projects relating to the Web, geoinformation systems, information technology and telecommunications, and operation and further development of the corresponding infrastructure.

COGIS includes the following five processes:

• Coordination and steering of geoinformation
• Spatial data infrastructure development and maintenance
• Geoinformatics
• Institute of Military Geography
• Competence Center for projects

The coordination of geoinformation within the federal administration is under the strategic management and supervision of the Federal Coordinating Agency for Geoinformation (GCG), which comprises one or more representatives from each of the seven Federal Departments plus the Federal Chancellery. The Director of swisstopo is president of this body, while the practical implementation of its defined strategy is the responsibility of COGIS.