Overview of the world of geospatial metadata, and the role of the EDINA service GoGeo in creating, saving, and discovering it. Presented on 19 June 2014 by Tony Mathys in Aberdeen, Scotland.

1. Geospatial Metadata and Spatial Data Workshop,
The James Hutton Institute

2. PRESENTATION SESSION:
 Background information
 Metadata, standards and application profiles
 UK Academic Geospatial Metadata Application Profile, Version
2.1 (UK AGMAP 2.1) and guidelines
 Geodoc Metadata Editor tool, GoGeo portal and other resources
 ShareGeo Open spatial data repository
 GoGeo Spatial Data Infrastructure for data management and
sharing
DEMONSTRATION/HANDS-ON SESSION:
 Geodoc Metadata Editor tool, GoGeo portal and ShareGeo
Open spatial data repository
Programme

3.  three decades of geographical
(spatial) data digitisation
 eclectic range of academic disciplines
using
 Geographic Info System (GIS)
 statistical packages
 image processing software
 GPS
2006 data audits at four universities
revealed:
522 datasets + 100s of legacy datasets
= considerable cost and time lost
Requires a spatial data management, discovery and sharing
solution delivered through online portal technology and metadata.
Background

4. So what is METADATA?
Meta (think Greek):
but metadata means something else to data creators….
Photographic Images copyright: Jupiter Images 2006
Data (think Latin):

5. Photographic Images copyright: Jupiter Images 2006
and it’s not sun and holiday in the Mediterranean

6. Represents a documented and ordered summary of information that
describes something, in this case, spatial data.
Provides the What, When, Where and Why information for spatial data.
Includes Ownership and Contact (Who) details and Access and Use
conditions.
Metadata (data describing data)

7. Photographic Images copyright: Jupiter Images 2006
Think of metadata as a recipe for making beer
What are the ingredients?
Where can ingredients be
purchased?
What are the brewing steps?
When does the fermentation
process end?

8. Beer metadata
Photographic Images copyright: Jupiter Images 2006

9. Think of metadata as food product labelling
What are the ingredients and
their nutritional value?
When is the product’s expiry
date?
Where was it produced?
Who produced it?

10. Food metadata

11. Where are these datasets’ study areas?
When were the data collected?
Why were these datasets created?
Who created these datasets?
- type of application?
- spatial reference system?
- spatial accuracy?
- processes or algorithms used?
Can you tell me from any of these files…
Now think of metadata as spatial data labelling

12. What attributes are associated
with these polygons?
What do these polygons represent?

13. What do these
SOILCLASS
values mean?
What does this
attribute mean?

14. Geospatial metadata

15. Metadata Records
hold descriptions
and file locations
Spatial datasets’
file locations
Spatial
datasets’
descriptions
The importance of geospatial metadata
Manage spatial data

16. Geoportal: an interface to run catalogue searches to discover
metadata records representing spatial data and geo-services.
Search: free text, resource and data type, geographic
location (co-ordinate and place name) and date.
Geoportal
Metadata
Records
Spatial Datasets
and Geo-services
Share and discover spatial data via a geoportal

17. Discovering spatial data through metadata offers
the prospect of developing new applications
DatasetsMetadata Predictive Modelling

18. and creating new datasets
Contour data
Raster data
Draped 3D Model
© Crown Copyright/database right 2008
© Crown Copyright/database right 2008
© Crown Copyright/database right 2008
Metadata
Metadata

19.  Protects investments of time and cost dedicated to dataset
creation and development.
 Maintains a dataset inventory to reduce time required to
re-assess existing datasets for new and future applications.
 Ensures integrity of existing datasets using metadata as a tracking
mechanism to monitor changes and edits to datasets.
 Eliminates or reduces the risk of redundancy in dataset collection.
 Saves against accidental deletion of dataset files or damage
to storage media.
 Reduces and minimises the disruptive effects of staff
taking annual leave or departing for new careers.
 Easier to read a description of a dataset than to explain it.
 Faster to bundle a metadata record with its dataset when sharing it.
Photographic Images copyright:
Jupiter Images 2006
Other benefits

20. * Intellectual Property Rights (IPR);
* legacy data;
* trust, liability fears, privacy and security;
* residual licensed data rights for derived data;
* concerns over data quality; and
* which standard to use, which version?
time and cost for the following:
- creating and updating metadata records (descriptive level);
- creating anonymised data for release;
- delivering data, including normalisation, transformation and
harmonisation (scale, projections, positional accuracy and
formats); and
- infrastructure performance, maintenance, enhancement,
and long-term investment towards data and software archiving.
Spatial data and metadata concerns
Nature Journal, 2013

21. http://www.flickr.com/photos/musebrarian/3289649684/#/
Metadata Standards and
Application Profiles

22.  Provide precise specifications to enforce and ensure consistency
and interoperability.
 Define and describe metadata entities and elements and, classify
and group relevant metadata elements with entities.
 Assign structure and conditions (obligations, data type, domain).
Metadata standards

23. Dublin Core (ISO 15836)
15 elements to facilitate simple resource discovery in
a networked environment (e.g. internet or library).
T
Photographic Images copyright: Jupiter Images 2006

24. University of
Edinburgh
Library Catalogue

26. University of
Edinburgh
Library Catalogue
University of
Aberdeen
Library Catalogue
University of
Sheffield
Library Catalogue

27.  Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard
for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM)
* Introduced in the mid 1990s for documenting spatial datasets.
 ISO 19115 Metadata Standard
for Geographic Information
* Ratified in 2003 and supersedes FGDC.
* Defines the schema required for describing
geographic information and geo-services.
* Provides information about the identification, the extent, the quality,
the spatial and temporal schema, spatial reference and distribution
of digital geographic data.
* Can be extended to many other forms of geographic data such as
maps, charts and textual documents as well as non-geographic data.
Geospatial Metadata Standards

28. ISO 19115 Core Elements (22)
Dublin Core

30. United Modelling Language: Metadata Class Diagrams

31. Represents a reduction or extension of a standard’s elements to
suit a discipline’s/sector’s spatial data documentation requirements.
An ISO 19115-compliant application profile should
* include the ISO 19115 core elements for creating discovery
level metadata to support spatial data sharing;
* provide additional ISO 19915 elements to create descriptive
level metadata to support spatial data management; and
* be extended to include elements best suited to support a
discipline’s specialisation.
Provides elements to document biological information such as
taxonomy, methodology and analytical tools.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/f10n4/186861991/
Geospatial Metadata Application Profile
Example: The Biological Data Profile (BDP)

32. Creating an application profile from ISO 19115
ISO 19115
Core Element Set
Application
Profile
Schema,
Stylesheet,
Schematron

33. Infrastructure for
Spatial Information in
the European
Community (INSPIRE)
*European Commission (EC)
*European Environment
Agency (EEA)
*Representatives from
Member States (Mapping/GIS)
INSPIRE Directive Metadata Guidelines
Comprises about 30+ elements to provide a discovery level
description of a dataset, dataset series or geo-service in support
of the INSPIRE Directive.

34. INSPIRE Metadata Editor and Geoportal

35. INSPIRE Directive [2007 /2/ EC]
 The INSPIRE Directive came into force on 15 May 2007.
 31 December 2009 for England, Northern Ireland and Wales;
Scotland’s Parliament enacted a complementary regulation on the
same date.
 Full implementation: 2019.
 Targets electronic spatial data and services for environmental
information.
 A European Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) based on Member
States’ infrastructures to improve interoperability.
 Make data and services readily and transparently available to ensure
good governance at all levels.
 Public authorities obliged to produce and keep ‘metadata’ current.

36.  Provide metadata catalogues to reveal what information is available.
 Combine online data discovery, view, download and transformation
(interoperability) services to provide users with seamless spatial
information from different sources across Europe.
 Licensing arrangements to allow for information sharing, access and
use in accordance with each State’s regulations.
 Introduce monitoring mechanisms to show that information is being
made available.
 Introduce co-ordination mechanisms to ensure effective operation of
the infrastructure.
 Must comply with the 34 spatial data specifications in three annexes
(reference geographies, environmental datasets).
INSPIRE Regulations for Member States

37. INSPIRE deadlines for Annex I, II and III metadata

38. Practical example from Defra:
poultry disease outbreak

39. * Released in 2004 to support creation of ISO 19115
and e-GMS compliant metadata - superseded the
National Geospatial Data Framework (NGDF).
* 2010: UK GEMINI revised to be INSPIRE-compliant.
* Targets the UK public sector.
* Comprises 30+ elements to provide a discovery
level description of a dataset, dataset series
or geo-service.
UK GEMINI 2.2

40. UK Location Metadata Editor

41. DATA.GOV.UK

42. Scottish SDI Discovery Metadata Catalogue

43. 43
GoGeo Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)
for UK academia

44. UK Academic Geospatial Metadata Application Profile,
Version 2.1 (UK AGMAP 2.1)
UK AGMAP 2.1 created to
support the specific needs of
UK academia.
Comprises elements from
ISO 19115, UK GEMINI 2.1
and INSPIRE.
Supports documentation of a
dataset, dataset series or
geo-service (discovery and
descriptive levels).
AGMAP elements mapped to
Dublin Core, FGDC, INSPIRE,
UK GEMINI 2.1 and DDI.Extended
Metadata
ISO 19115
Core Elements
ISO 19115
INSPIRE &
UK GEMINI
UK AGMAP

45. UK AGMAP 2.1:
to describe datasets
and dataset series
29 mandatory
90 elements

46. UK AGMAP 2.1: to describe geo-services
39 elements 22 mandatory

47. Provide descriptions and examples to introduce AGMAP to
academics and students from eclectic range of disciplines.
UK AGMAP 2.1 Guidelines

48. We need to move it from
there to an electronic file
(metadata).
Metadata Creation
Photographic Images copyright: Jupiter Images 2006
How might we do this?
Most spatial data information
is stored in our heads.

49. Photographic Images copyright: Planet Vulcan Images, AD 2568
Mind reading aliens?

50. Information extraction devices?

51. Subtle persuasion?

52. Geodoc Metadata Editor Tool
* Java-built online tool
* UK federation authentication access

53. 5
text fields
drop-down lists
Automated lists

54. Direct access to UK AGMAP guidelines

55. Transfer your contact details to each record

56. Geodoc co-ordinate tool for capturing extents

57. Capturing extents for a Nation with one click

58. Private and secure
Store, edit and export metadata records

59. AGMAP 2.1 ISO 19115 UKGEMINI 2.1
INSPIRE Dublin Core DDI FGDC
Exports XML files to following formats:

60. and to PDF format

61. Import XML metadata records:
Dublin Core, INSPIRE and UK GEMINI 2.1

62. Publish records: open / private metadata catalogues

63. 1) collect and process data to create dataset;
2) use Geodoc to document dataset to create a metadata record;
3) validate and submit record for review;
4) metadata creator is contacted; and
5) record is published on the GoGeo portal.
1 2 3
Easy steps to the creation and publication
of a geospatial metadata record
Photographic Images copyright: Jupiter Images 2006
4
5

64. Geodoc users from
54 academic institutions
have created
2,539 metadata records

65. A geoportal designed for UK academia to run queries to discover
metadata for spatial datasets, and to locate geographical resources
GoGeo Portal

66. (http://geonetwork-opensource.org/)
Based primarily on ISO 19115, it’s a free and open source catalogue
application to manage spatially referenced resources through the web.
Provides:
* advanced search
interface
* online editing
* immediate search
access to local and
distributed metadata
catalogues
* embedded interactive
Web Map Viewer for
(WMS)
GoGeo portal built with GeoNetwork

67. GoGeo Simple Search
Placename search
using Unlock
middleware gazetteer

68. GoGeo
Portal
Search
Engine
Leeds GeoNode
National Soils
Research Institute
GoGeo Portal
catalogue
INSPIRE
EU Portals’
catalogues
data.gov.uk
catalogue

69. GoGeo metadata search results and extents display

70. Metadata record and spatial data

71. GoGeo Advanced Search
Access to almost 23,000 metadata records

72. WMS Viewer

73. GoGeo private
metadata catalogues for
academic institutions
departments or
research groups

74.  a repository for you to store and manage your metadata thus
savings in cost and time;
 use metadata to announce your data and applications;
 advertise (and sell?) your spatial datasets to other interested
parties in academia and in the private and public sectors;
 metadata in the portal can be referenced and cited for project
proposals;
 could be configured as an internal resource to access and
share datasets; and
 allow for more ‘application spontaneity’ amongst other GoGeo
users as they browse and search published metadata records.
Why publish metadata on the GoGeo portal?

75. 5,100 + resources with daily additions
GoGeo portal’s GIS Resources channels

78. Learn about Metadata resources

79. Reference material – UK AGMAP

80. Metadata learning objects

81. Geodoc learning objects

82. GoGeo Metadata bi-annual newsletters

83. Metadata workshops and resources

84. Previous Geospatial Metadata Workshops/Seminars

85. Future GoGeo enhancements
GoGeo App Metadata Translator
More metadata catalogues

86.  A repository for deposit and extraction of spatial data.
 Supports access to and sharing of spatial data.
 Holds national and international spatial datasets
(raster, vector and tabular).
 Key to delivering a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) for the UK
academic GI community.
 ArcGIS plugin to create
metadata to deposit with
data.
 245 datasets available
for download.
 Downloads (average)
a month: 3,000
UK academia: 50 - 400
ShareGeo Open Spatial Data Repository

87. Spatial dataset download

88. * Discovery level information for metadata creation
* Extents extracted from dataset
Spatial dataset submission

89. The GoGeo Spatial Data Infrastructure
(SDI) for data management and sharing

90. Vision I: spatial data management
create and store metadata
records for personal data management.
to create and share metadata
records with project colleagues using
the GoGeo portal’s private catalogue
create and export
metadata records to
share information and
data with a colleague
Use Geodoc to

91. Establishing departmental metadata catalogues
for internal information sharing
GoGeo
Portal
Metadata
catalogues
Geography
College of Science
and Engineering
Biological
Sciences
Civil
Engineering
GeoInformatics
College of Humanities
and Social Sciences
College of Medicine
and Veterinary Medicine
Geology
Health
Informatics
Public Health
Science
Animal
Science
Archaeology
History

92. 9
ShareGeo
Open Data
Repository
Spatial
Data User
GoGeo Open
Portal
Vision II: open spatial data sharing

93. Discover
Locate
Access
Use
Publish
Fit for
purpose?
Preserve
Achieve digital spatial data immortality

94. Thank you!
Metadata creation =
well-deserved holiday