General presentation
IRD – Desertification Unit
Structure 1. Background 2. Principles and goals: Capitalizing and sharing 3. Conceptual choices: Generic tool 4. Implementation: The MDweb tool 5. Perspectives: Perspectives Inter-institutional computer platform
Structure 1. Background 2. Principles and goals: Capitalizing and sharing 3. Conceptual choices: Generic tool 4. Implementation: The MDweb tool 5. Perspectives: Perspectives Inter-institutional computer platform
ROSELT/OSS: Observatory network - Network for long-term monitoring - Research platform 25 observatories in 11 Circum-Saharan countries in association with national mechanisms (PAN/LCD)
Montpellier-based working group
9 Institutes: IRD, LIRMM, Cemagref JRU Tetis, CIRAD – TERA
9 Projects: PADOUE, GETM, Syscolag (Languedoc-Roussillon region & Ifremer)
Structure 1. Background 2. Principles and goals: Capitalizing and sharing 3. Conceptual choices: Generic tool 4. Implementation: The MDweb tool 5. Perspectives: Perspectives Inter-institutional computer platform
Principles and goals Goals
9 Establish a catalog of references of environmental data of an institute, a programme, a scientific community that is accessible via intranet and Internet 9 Allow access to data via its metadata
Principles 9 Local management of data 9 Consolidation of data: unification of distributed TDBs to provide a uniform view of the entire data
Desired features Three major features:
9 Referencing: Entering and updating, manually or
semi-automatically, the metadata of the observatory’s data set
9 Publishing: Making available the referenced data sets to make them accessible, subject to defined restrictions
9 Navigating, consulting and acquiring data using a querying interface (keywords, cartographic)
Structure 1. Background 2. Principles and goals: Capitalizing and sharing 3. Conceptual choices: Generic tool 4. Implementation: The MDweb tool 5. Perspectives: Perspectives Inter-institutional computer platform
Generic tool 9 Multi-standard & multi-lingual 9 Use and customization by a community via the creation of templates (‘views’ of the standard)
Role and usage of metadata
9 Knowing data and its characteristics
Primary role is to improve knowledge about existing data (inventorying, describing and cataloging roles)
9 Searching for data
Offer one or more catalogs that can be queried using thematic and geographic indexing (indexing role)
9 Access to data
ISO – 19115: Geographical information - Metadata Distribution information Spatial & temporal extent Reference system
Data identification
Constraints information Metadata informations
Data content information class contact
Data quality
Protocols Genealogy
Structure of the general schema of metadata (simplified ISO 19115 standard)
Extension of the standard for semantic control of the indexing is indexed by
is indexed by
MD *
*
1..* *
* *
Relationship between concepts
concept Geographic object
*
1..*
toponym: string N: real S: real E: real W: real the_geom: geometry
instance of
Temporal concept
Thematic concept 1..*
1
1..* spatial concept
1..*
0..1 Extension in
SN
UF
NTP
ISO 19115 Semantic reference base Spatial reference base
BT
NT
NTG
BTP
BTG
RT
spatial relationship
RTS
Egenhofer’s relationship
Layer
*
Concept of metadata templates ‘View’ or ‘template’ of the standard Extraction of the items of the standard (and, if necessary, from its extension) depending on the needs of a community, project or application
Core of the standard Template standard
Templates offered
Data collection
Data set
Relational database
Vector theme
Geodatabase
Image – raster grid
Digital map
Sorter – Table Paper map Technical report
Metadata’s levels of detail 3 defined levels of details:
9Basic level = ‘cataloging’ function (localization, general level)
9Extended level = ‘sharing’ or ‘data access’ level (distribution format, access protocol,…)
9Complete level = ‘data integration’ function » (schema of data, geographic and temporal reference bases)
Structure 1. Background 2. Principles and goals: Capitalizing and sharing 3. Conceptual choices: Generic tool 4. Implementation: The MDweb tool 5. Perspectives: Perspectives Inter-institutional computer platform
Architecture of the tool Public access
Search Consultation XML export Data Download Web browser
DBMS
PHP scripts MDweb
DBMS : Database Management System (Postgres, MySQL, Oracle)
Apache Web server
Authentified access Metadata management
Administration Import/Export Xml Catalog Managt Tool customization é Web browser
MDweb technical specifications 9Based on free software: Apache server, PHP language, free DBMS
9Multi-system: Unix, Linux or Windows 9Multi-DBMS: PostgreSQL/PostGIS, MySQL, (ORACLE?)
9Multi-lingual: English, French, configurable for other languages
9Multi-standard: ISO by default, possibility of adding other metadata standards
General structure of the database
search index
geographic layers
tools metadata storage
Catalog
label translation
metadata profile
standard dictionnary
Thesaurus
The MDweb modules In its current version, the application consists of three modules:
a search module for references (metadata) that offers two search
a management module, password-protected, for entering and updating references and attached resource files
modes: one assisted mode and one multi-criteria mode with free or restricted access
an administration module for configuring the tool, managing references in all existing catalogs, importing and exporting of references in XML format, the customization of interfaces, the management of entry-forms.
The local-search module
Searching by type, by institutions, by catalog Multi-criteria searching: Where?, When?, On what? Which resource type? Display of a data set’s detailed description Downloads of files (zip) and metadata (xml)
The local-search module
The local-search module
The local-search module
The local-search module
The local-search module
The distributed-search module
The distributed-search module
The management module
The management module
Authentication-based access User management of metadata records:
Hierarchization of records (collection > set) 3 levels of entry Attachment of thumbnails Attachment of compressed data set Synchronization of contacts and definition of pre-defined values/templates
Rule for the publication of a record Confidential/public statuses for records and data
The management module
The management module
The management module
The management module
The administration module
Management of parameters
User management
Addition, modification
Import/export XML
In particular assigning of roles, work catalog
Management of module labels
Publication rule Adding a language
Import XML ISO 19115 (MDweb, ArcGis) Export XML ISO 19115
Catalog management Template management (under development)
The administration module
Users: their roles and associated functionalities
Validate records Validator’s role Manage users Manage records
Manage labels Administrator’s role Manage predefined values
Manage his preferences
Cataloger’s role
Export files
Import files Consult records Final user Accessor’s role
Facilitate entry of metadata
Automatization of metadata entry. In MDweb by configuring ‘technical’ metadata (character set, resource type, etc.) or ‘repetitive’ metadata (contact information, for example). Develop modules for generating metadata records with low overheads and in a consistent and simple manner: Export MDweb ArcGIS extension
Export MDweb
MDweb application: ROSELT requests
ROSELT regional portal
responses
Search via MDweb
Multiple requests Responses to multiple queries
ROSELT national portal
Exchange protocol
Data catalog (metadata DB)
MDweb
Exchange protocol
Exchange protocol
Data catalog
Data catalog
(metadata DB)
(metadata DB)
MDweb
MDweb
MDweb application: SIA Cape Verde Site
General information
ISIS / MD WEB
Base of geographic metadata
Base of documentary metadata
GenIsisWeb Partner’s choice to disclose
Partner’s choice to disclose
Geographic database
Documentary database
MDweb application: DeSurvey
Requests for implementation
IRD
Partners of the South
ECOSCOPE
CILSS CSE (Senegal) IRA et SE National mechanism (Tunisia) ROSELT Niger
National
DIREN (MEDD) Cemagref Gip Loire CNERTA-ENESAD
Structure 1. Background 2. Principles and goals: Capitalizing and sharing 3. Conceptual choices: Generic tool 4. Implementation: The MDweb tool 5. Perspectives: Perspectives Computer platform
Perspectives ‘A computer platform designed to maintain and develop generic components for creating metadata services’
Agreements to establish responsibilities of the various partners (permanent and temporary personnel, equipment, data, operations,…)
Perspectives
Common goals:
Development strategy:
sharing of human and financial resources to develop and maintain a set of generic software components that can be used to create metadata services and that shall be made available under free licence.
Integrating that which already exists (MDweb + Geo components & thesauri) Components conforming to OpenGIS, ISO Complementary components (database access, genealogy, descriptors)
Perspectives
CECiLL free licence
Usage rights and contributions
The participants of the platform Immediate partners Intra-institutional and external partners
