Metadata Overview

Owned by Kim Stimpson
Last updated: 08 Jul, 2020 by Matt Travis (Deactivated)

5.6.0+

Introduction

iShare allows users to associate metadata with the individual Layers by linking them to records in a metadata store, making the metadata available in iShare Studio, and in the iShare Maps and iShare GIS user interface. Once this link has been established, the metadata in iShare is kept in sync with the metadata store. In iShare you can establish these links automatically in batch mode, and edit links for individual layers if necessary. For both individual and batches of layers, iShare will search the metadata store for matching records.

Architecture

Metadata linking in iShare is designed to give iShare, and hence iShare users, access to metadata which is stored in a GeoNetwork metadata store, and which refers to individual iShare layers. No metadata is stored in iShare, just links to the records, so any updates made to the metadata store will be reflected in the metadata available in iShare.

The diagram below shows how iShare interacts with GeoNetwork.

Pre-requisites

The Metadata is accessed via the Catalogue Service for the Web (CSW ) - this is a web service like WFS or WMS but for accessing Metadata rather than Spatial data.  In order to make use of metadata linking in iShare, you will need metadata records in a GeoNetwork metadata store in UK Gemini 2.3 format. These records need to correspond to the layers in iShare. 

Before you can associate metadata with your Layers you will need to: 

Processes

The first step is to Associate Metadata with iShare Layers. iShare contains tools which search the Metadata store for records which correspond to iShare layers - this can be done for all layers, layers which don't already have metadata links, or for individual layers. It also allows metadata links to be removed and replaced, if for example they are incorrectly automatically added.

Once you have associated Metadata with your map Layers you will then be able to:

If you don't have Metadata for a Layer in GeoNetwork you can manually add Keywords and an Abstract via the Layer Metadata Editor. This will also be searchable in iShare GIS.