Geospatial Librarian

We have finalized the ISO 19115 metadata elements that are required for records in our geoportal. The following chart organizes the elements to our customized GeoNetwork editing interface.  See this spreadsheet for more details.

This post lists my current recommendations for translating FGDC metadata files into ISO19139. Background:  At the November Summit , we decided that all of the metadata files should be in the same format and we chose ISO 191115 using the ISO 19139 implementation.  I spent several months and did numerous tests to determine the best process for carrying out this transformation.  I was hoping to find a solution that was cross-platform and open source.  However, I concluded that the best tool right now for this process is ArcCatalog.   Even within ArcCatalog, there are several options and scripts that can be combined to create an ISO file.  I have chosen two basic options.  At this time, all other methods attempted produced unacceptable metadata loss.   BEST: (if the dataset is available for download) Download the dataset.  Use a combination of Metadata Conversion tools to generate , combine , and/or upgrade existing met...

Summary:  This post shares several scripts and techniques for working with multiple files at a time. Intro The metadata workflow process developed for our project was created for collaborative metadata creation, transformation, and editing.  In the workflow’s current form, the basic steps are:      1. Submit records (individuals from various institutions)      2. Metadata transition (performed by myself, the Metadata Coordinator)      3. Edit records (online editor accessible by all) This post is about the second step, the metadata transition.  The goal of this step is to transform all of the metadata into ISO and add template information.  This is all about working with the files in batches.  Any individual edits, even if done with spreadsheets in groups, is part of the third step.   Here are some of the scripts I have copied or written for this work, as well as a few useful tools. I wi...

Issue: A group of FGDC metadata files was submitted in text format (Word Document.)   Challenge: We need the metadata to be in XML format. Solution: Use the geospatial metadata tools found on the USGS website: http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/ ----------------------------------------------------- Today's post is about how to convert FGDC metadata stored as a text file into an XML file.  I anticipate this to be a common issue for our project, because older metadata files were often stored as text documents. Thankfully, Peter Schweitzer from the USGS has provided us with easy-to-use tools that will turn them into XMLs.   The following steps show the transformation process.  Note that this is only for metadata that is already in the FGDC format.  The final result is an FGDC xml metadata file that can be transformed to ISO using methods described in earlier posts. 1. Review the raw metadata files The submitted m...