Go-Geo! - A Geo-data Portal

Go-Geo! will be a resource discovery tool that tells users what geo-spatial data and related

resources exist for a given area

phase II demonstrator project JISC funded, commenced June 2002, 1 year

duration

joint project between EDINA and HDS

aim: develop a demonstrator service suitable for extension to full service

links with national effort, the NGDF networkuses HE/FE extension to NGDF metadata discovery guidelines to describe geo-spatial

datasets need to migrate to use ISO 19115 in time

built upon Z39.50 technologies

Vision

• promote greater awareness of geo-spatial data within HE– increasing amounts of geo-spatial data being created – help make more (effective) use of these data

• promote greater awareness of geo-spatial data within the

wider GI community in the UK

• an access point to geographically related resources– obvious things (software, learning resources, training, etc.)– BUT ALSO case studies, articles, images and projects, mail lists etc– all tied together by location portal becomes a geographically oriented access point to the

JISC Information Environment

• long term, if it becomes a service, extend to support access and data fusion

Geo-spatial data“data that have some form of spatial or geo-graphic reference that enables them to be located in two- or three-dimensional space”

Statistical Account of Scotland

NUMBER XIII.

PARISH OF CULLEN.

(COUNTY OF BANFF, SYNOD OF ABERDEEN, PRESBYTERY OF FORDYCE.)

By the Rev. Mr. ROBERT GRANT.

Royalty, Extent, Climate, etc.

CULLEN, as appears from old charters, was originallycalled Inverculan, because it stands upon the bank ofthe Burn of Cullen, which, at the N. end of the town, fallsinto the sea: but now it is known by the name of Cullen on-ly. Cullen is a royal burgh, formerly a constabulary, ofwhich the Earl of Findlater was hereditary constable. Theset, as it is called, of the council, consists of 19, in which num-ber are included the Earl of Findlater, hereditary preses, 3bailies, a treasurer, a dean-of-guild, and 13 counsellors. Theparish extends from the sea fouthward, about 2 English milesin length.

Other IEContent Providers

Go-Geo! portal

architectureGeo-data Network(proposed)

NGDF Network

Geo-data Gateway

Metadata or resource servers

Local go-geodatabase

GE:source

Challenges

• creation of metadata– how do we encourage documentation of geo-spatial data?

– how do we ensure metadata is comprehensive, current?

• discovery is all very well but what about access– researchers and lecturers unable to handle requests for data– require mechanism for 'publishing' their data

• integrating existing geo-spatial data descriptions– e.g. HDS uses DDI not NGDF metadata guidelines

• spatial searching for related resources– majority of services within JISC IE have no geo-referencing– even if they were, the Z39.50 software employed either

doesn't support appropriate profiles e.g. GILS, GEOdoesn't have functionality to undertake spatial searching

Cross-searching the JISC IE: 1

ContentProvider 1 Content

Provider 2Content

Provider 3

ContentProvider 4

customised requests

crosswalk spatialcomponent

geo-parse records

initiate search('Edinburgh')

return resultset

content geo-referenced

content not geo-referenced

JISC IE

standard request

Go-Geo!

gateway

Gazetteer Server

Cross-searching the JISC IE: 2 Find me resources about my study area

geoXwalkServer

Content Provider 3

ContentProvider 1

Place names

Parish names

Postcodes

Map area: 340900, 392300 - 347217, 397660

L34

Knowsley, (Kirkby, Prescot)

BX003

Servicesregistry

ContentProvider 2

Go-Geo!

gateway

The services registry

Need to know• service provider

e.g. name, description, contacts

• service detailse.g. service name, description,

access point, content type

• technical details of the servicee.g. protocol (Z39.50), profile

(geo), element set details

+ additional information e.g.– spatial domain

form of geo-referencingspatial search attributesgeographic MBR of contents

– time coverage– metadata standard and

mappings– which software

Using UDDI approach• businessEntity • businessService• bindingTemplate• tModels• + xml extensions stored in bindingTemplate

tmodel instance details instance details

instance parameters

• for internal geo-portal service use only

• still early stages of thinking

JISC Information Environment

Portal

Content providers

End-user

Portal

Broker/Aggregator

Authentication

Authorisation

Collect’n Desc

Service Desc

Resolver

Inst’n Profile

Shared services

Portal

Provision layer

Fusion layer

Presentationlayer

geo-X-walk

Go-Geo! Portal

Contacts

Dr David Medyckyj-ScottManager, Research and Geo-Data Services Email: d.j.medyckyj-scott@ed.ac.uk

EDINA web site: http://edina.ac.ukTel.: +44 (0)131 650 3302Fax: +44 (0)131 650 3308