Where next….

Stakeholder workshop, 29 Jan 2003

To the end of the project

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Metadata matters

• employ a range of procedures to encourage metadata publication – want to determine which strategies are the most effective

• expand the HE/FE Application Profile Guidelines – need to serve an eclectic audience that spans multiple

disciplines

• integrate HE/FE Application Profile Guidelines document into the geo-data portal to serve as a reference guide to the individual metadata elements

• monitor possible changes to metadata standards that could take place in the coming months

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Technical development

• continue to develop portal client– e.g. result set sorting function, geographic and temporal

visualisations, inclusion of gazetteer and thesaurus pick-menu, email record and so on

• link in HDS database & GE:source so cross-searchable from Portal

• write mechanisms to output metadata as Dublin Core & NGDF Discovery Metadata Guidelines formats

• provide gateway so NGDF GIGateway can search local Portal database (and geo-data network)

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Investigations

• use of OAI to disclose metadata as an output from the portal

• how access could be provided to 'deep' geo-spatial resources (data mining)

• how a comprehensive service would include search and browse, visualisation, exploitation and analysis of geo-spatial data

• will propose that OGC interoperability specifications are used

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OGC and interoperability

• Open GIS Consortium (OGC), a private sector initiative, formed in 1994

• aim is to develop software specifications to advance geo-processing interoperability across the GIS industry

• employing practical testbeds and a consensus specification development process to arrive at open specifications for standard interfaces and protocols

• defined web service implementation specifications for– Map Services – Gazetteer Services*– Feature (data) Services – Geo-parser Services*– Coverage services – Catalog Services

• could be used by Data Centres and research institutes to serve up their data to the portal (and elsewhere)

• ££££ - who pays to establish this infrastructure?

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WFS Service

WAAS Service

WWW-Browser

WAAS Client

WFS ClientWMS Client

Go-Geo! Portal

WMS Service

Geo

-D

ata

WMS Service

Geo

-D

ata

Ath

ens

Dat

ase

t2

Dat

ase

t 1

Services

Clients

Security Zone

JISC Data Centre HE Research Institute

JISC Data Centre

Exposing geo-data through the Portal User

Based on R. Wagner 2002

WAAS Service

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Revisiting the data access issue

• proposing a short feasibility study looking at 2 approaches

• P2P– data holders/custodians would set up a P2P server on

institutional machines and store data within it

– metadata published announcing existence of servers and data

• metadata would also be published to the Go-Geo database

– users would use P2P client to search for data on the Go-Geo portal, locate a copy and download to their machine

• self archiving service– data producers/holders use it to publish data for use by others

– requires mechanism for them to provide data, metadata and accompanying documentation

– metadata would also be published to the local Portal database

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Evaluation and outreach

• formal report of this meeting– further development based on information gained at this meeting

• further evaluation – internal to UKDA & HDS

– via online questionnaire & JISCmail list

– usability testing by students and trainers

• enhancement of information on web page

• outreach– contributions to newsletters/ publications

– attendance at conferences & workshops

• offer trial access from April

• offer potential metadata producers the opportunity to submit their comments towards the future design and development of a metadata tool

Our exit strategy

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Transition to service

• our goal is for the portal to become a service within the JISC Information Environment

• following a set up phase, would aim to launch the service in January 2004

• creation of portal content will be undertaken and managed by HDS

• EDINA responsible for hosting the service and for technical development

• the current project will result in a demonstrator service, further development will be required prior to & post launch

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Further development

• proposed activities include– linking in of metadatabases provided by other geo-spatial

data service providers e.g. MIMAS and ADS, to establish the geo-data network

– tools for submitting metadata records and editing

– linking in additional resources

• this could include relevant subscription A&I databases

– addition of user profiling

– improvements in spatial searching

– development of a facility (the ‘Geo-Locator’) to allow the geo-data network to be searchable via the Gateway from other Portals

• this could include institutional portals

• all subject to continuing funding from the JISC

Any comments?

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