Transcript EUROGI - EC GI & GIS Portal

The European Umbrella
Organisation for GI
On-going Metadata Initiatives
in Europe
Christian Chenez
Gael Kermarrec
CONTENT
 1.
EUROGI (http://www.eurogi.org)
 2. Setting the scene
 3. Analyse of the situation - Problems
 4. Solutions - Proposal
 5. Conclusion
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
EUROGI 5 YEARS ON
MISSION (1):
 PROMOTE, STIMULATE, ENCOURAGE
AND SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT
AND USE OF GI AND ITS ASSOCIATED
TECHNOLOGY
– “AT THE EUROPEAN LEVEL”
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
EUROGI 5 YEARS ON
MISSION (2):

REPRESENT THE COMMON INTEREST
OF THE GI COMMUNITY
» “ IN EUROPE”
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
EUROGI MEMBERSHIP 31/12/98
EUROGI
INGIO
National GI Org./Ass.
EOGI
Pan European GI Org./Ass.
RAVI (NL)
AGI(UK)
AFIGEO (F)
NDC (Gr)
ULI (Swe)
SOGI (Swi)
DDGI (Ger)
ProGIS (Fin)
CNIG (Por)
AM/FM (Ita)
IRLOGI (Irl)
GTIM-SIG (Lux)
AESIG (Spa)
HUNAGI (Hun)
CC (Bel)
GISPOL (Pol)
CERCO
NTKF (Nor)
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
EUROGI 5 YEARS ON
WORKPLAN OBJECTIVES (1)

THE DEFINITION OF AN EUROPEAN GI
POLICY AND THE FACILITATION OF A
EUROPEAN GEOGRAPHICAL
INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE
(EGII)
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
EUROGI 5 YEARS ON
WORKPLAN OBJECTIVES (2):

TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION
BETWEEN MEMBERS OF AFFILIATED
ASSOCIATIONS THROUGH
CONFERENCE CO-ORDINATION AND
DIRECTORIES
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
EUROGI 5 YEARS ON
WORKPLAN OBJECTIVES (3)
 TO EASE DATA EXCHANGE AT THE
NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN LEVEL
THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF
STANDARDS AND TO LIMIT THE
IMPACT OF THE CONTRAINTS OF THE
VARIOUS LEGAL ISSUES AFFECTING GI
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
EUROGI 5 YEARS ON
1999 EUROGI Developments:
1. A STRATEGIC REVIEW resulting in new
‘adapted’ mission, objectives and structure
2. STAFF RELAY : President and Secretariat
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Setting the scene (1)
– Metadata Studies at European level:
»GI-META (97) -> broad user
requirements for a metadata service
»VIL (99) -> proposal : an European
Clearing House
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Setting the scene (2)
 Metadata
standardisation, 3 main standards
and the OGC specifications:
– FGDC (adopted 1994)
– CEN pre-standard (adopted in 1998)
– ISO (adoption - late in the year 2000)
– Metadata is part of the OpenGIS Abstract
Specification
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Setting the scene (3)

The ESMI survey of existing metadata
services and initiatives:
– 13 national or local services and initiatives
– 4 Europe wide services
– 6 world wide services
 Other
services and initiatives: 12
 Total : 35 - a non exhaustive list !
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Analysis - Problem (1)
 1.
Main European achievements
– A European standard but …
– A limited number of experts in
standardisation
– A series of non-coordinated and noninteroperable services
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Analysis - Problems (2)

2. Difficulty in selecting and implementing
a standard:
– A critical choice: CEN or FGDC or wait
for ISO? Definition and maintenance of
core metadata
– Investing in learning the standard or
using a standard expert?
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Analysis - Problems (3)
 3.
Existing services do not communicate:
– duplication
– inconsistency
 4. Capturing and maintaining metadata is
not always seen as a priority by data
providers
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Analysis - Problems (4)
5. Minimum collaboration with users during the
definition and implementation phases: a userfriendly focus is needed
– User-friendly interface
– User-expected content
 6. Potential users are facing initiatives which
are not well documented and advertised

5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Analysis - Problems (5)
 7.
Doing business with metadata seems
impossible
 8. Metadata for applications: a new
tendency
– e-commerce
– data management within an organisation
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Analysis - Problems (6)
 9.
Several metadata descriptions of the
same data set
 10. Lack of a GI product identification
system
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Solutions - Proposal (1)
 1.
Seek consensus as to with which
standard Europe should be working
 2. Manoeuvre to generate a period of
stability with the focus on
implementation, seek consensus on ‘how
to implement’
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Solutions - Proposal (2)
 3.
Identify user needs and gather user
feedback
 4. Organise a co-ordination process and
clustering approach across projects and
initiatives - Example : agreement between
GISEDI, ESMI, LaClef and GEIXS to
maintain and use the core metadata
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Solutions - Proposal (3)
5. Provide incentives for metadata creation and
maintenance (financial resources, knowledge,
expertise, standards, tools, etc)
 6. Envisage legislation for public sector
metadata content
 7. Study and implement a GI product
Identification (numbering) mechanism

5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Conclusion (1)

Are metadata so useful? Do other solutions to this
strategic problem exist?
– In 1999, placing metadata content on the web and
offering to potential users the possibility of using
intelligent searching engines is not yet a
satisfactory solution. The development of
metadata content and services adapted to user
needs shall continue on a more standardised and
co-ordinated way.
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Conclusion (2)

Would it be better to let the market create a metadata
infrastructure instead of trying to make it
institutionally? An ESMI, LaClef, GISEDI,
Datastore/ESRI-UK, etc solution versus an EWSE INFEO solution?
– The real world will ensure that the two
approaches will coexist
Contd.
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
Conclusion (3)

Contd. Question 2.
– The challenge is to create a mechanism to have
the two approaches inter-linked and coherent
– A working group of the GI High Level Working
Party proposed in the GI2000 communication
with membership from public and private sectors
should be mandated to co-ordinate the metadata
content and services development.
5th EC - GIS Workshop, Stresa 28-30 June 1999
The European Umbrella
Organisation for GI
On-going Metadata initiatives
in Europe
Christian Chenez
Gael Kermarrec