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| NPS Integrated Metadata System Plan for Spatial and Natural Resource Data Sets - FY2003
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In 2001, staff from the Information
Telecommunications Division (ITC), Natural Resource Inventory and Monitoring
(I&M) Program, and North Carolina State University (NCSU) met and discussed
the current status of the NPS GIS Metadata Clearinghouse and future plans for
an integrated, NPS-wide metadata database and clearinghouse metadata
system. The plan they developed leverages
current projects being implemented by NPS GIS, I&M, and Library Programs.
- The GIS Program presently operates
an FGDC Clearinghouse node that serves geospatial metadata via a Z39.50 Isite server located at NCSU. Metadata is collected via the GIS Regional
Technical Support Centers (RTSCs) and parks using a
wide variety of software tools (sometimes called the 101 ways) and supplied to
NCSU as parsed text, HTML, and SGML formatted files for indexing on the Isite server (see diagram below).
- The I&M Program presently
supports a desktop database called the Dataset Catalog that targets capturing
abbreviated metadata about all natural resource data sets that exist within the
NPS. The present Dataset Catalog exists
in MS Access, and I&M staff will integrate NPS-wide use with an
Internet-based Oracle database system, NR/GIS Metadata. The NR/GIS Metadata application is scheduled
for release in fall of 2003. Metadata in
the Dataset Catalog and NR/GIS Metadata can be mapped directly to the FGDC data
structure.
- The Library Program developed
an integrated, NPS-wide metadata system via a Z39.50 Blue Angel Technologies
(BAT) Metastar Gateway server that includes FGDC
metadata, webpage metatags, bibliographic citations,
and other information resources. This
system, NPSFocus, is the main gateway and search
tool for NPS and public users to access NPS information resources.
The integrated Natural Resources
metadata system takes advantage of the existing systems and projects as
well as commercial off the shelf (COTS) metadata tools. The myriad methods for gathering metadata are reduced to three
recommended tools: the desktop Dataset Catalog (recommended for all data
cataloging), ArcCatalog (for GIS-integrated
geospatial metadata), and SMMS (for FGDC Biologic Profile and other geospatial
metadata). The Dataset Catalog will be
maintained in MS Access as an abbreviated metadata catalog supporting primarily
non-geospatial metadata and can export and import FGDC-structured text files. In late 2003, the I&M Program will
release NR/GIS Metadata, an FGDC-structured database system in Oracle with a
secure web interface and tools to import metadata records from the three
desktop tools. Once completed, the
Oracle database will become the master database for NPS spatial and natural
resource metadata. In addition, the
present Isite GIS Clearinghouse server is being
replaced by the NPSFocus BAT Metastar
Gateway, which will be dynamically linked to the NR/GIS Metadata database and
will provide Z39.50 server search capabilities for the whole system.
Dataset Catalog and NR/GIS Metadata both serve the purpose of centralizing a comprehensive catalog of datasets. For those users without reliable internet connectivity, the import and export capabilities of Dataset Catalog allow creation of a coherent database of their metadata holdings. NR/GIS Metadata is designed to provide the same function for internet-capable users with the added advantage of full FGDC compliance for appropriate records.
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