Metadata and Catalogue Services

This self-learning module describes what metadata is and how important it is for data access within a distributed computing environment. Geographic Metadata, defined as data about geographical data, represents structured documentation about the available spatial datasets and services. It helps data owners to manage their spatial information efficiently (inventory & advertising role) and enables users to find and assess to what extent the discovered datasets match their requirements (fitness of use). In order to inform users about available spatial information, we need to publish references to existing datasets and services (metadata) in a catalog. The catalog is a central component of the process of information sharing, information dissemination or information awareness (like a library catalog). It assists users to discover information in a systematic and efficient way. The mechanism to search and discover available geographic datasets and services constitutes a “catalog service” in the geospatial community.