WASHINGTON STATE GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE
Table of Contents
What is a Geospatial Information Clearinghouse Node?
Why Develop a Clearinghouse Node for Washington State?
Clearly Defined Roles (proposed)
The Washington State Geographic Information Council (WAGIC), the University of Washington Libraries and other committed organizations will enter into a partnership to create a permanent clearinghouse for Washington state’s geospatial information. The clearinghouse will:
- Facilitate discovery of and access to geospatial metadata and data
- Encourage use through demonstrated value to information seekers
- Grow by geospatial data producers contributing metadata records
- Be cost effective
- Be Internet based
- Be registered with the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)
- Be searchable through the FGDC’s user interface
- Be based on FGDC’s Metadata Content Standards, but be flexible
- Have long-term commitment from the partners
What is a Geospatial Information Clearinghouse Node?
In its simplest form a clearinghouse node is a logically centralized site for the collection and dissemination of information. Geospatial information clearinghouse nodes allow individual agencies, consortia, or geographically-defined communities (such as Washington state) to band together and promote their available digital geospatial data. A clearinghouse node functions as a detailed catalog of geospatial information. The geospatial information clearinghouse concept was developed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) as a component of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The clearinghouse activity sponsored by the FGDC, WAGIC (the Washington State Geographic Information Council) and many other state geographic information councils, is a decentralized system of servers located on the Internet which contain field-level descriptions of digital geospatial data.
These descriptions, known as metadata, are collected in a standard format (FGDC Metadata Content Standard) to facilitate query, retrieval and consistent presentation of results across multiple FGDC participating sites. As of October, 1997, fifty clearinghouse nodes had been registered with the clearinghouse gateway.
The FGDC Metadata Content Standard consists of structured fields to describe, or catalog, geospatial data. Once a metadata record is created and submitted to an FGDC-registered clearinghouse node, the record is indexed and made available for discovery by anyone searching through the central FGDC gateway available on the Internet.
The clearinghouse network uses readily available Web technology for the client side (Web browsers) and uses public domain server software (Isite). This software is compliant with the ANSI standard Z39.50 for the query, search, and presentation of search results to the Web client.The clearinghouse network is accessed through a central gateway that allows users to search for geospatial information from their desktop. The query may be built on a variety of searchable elements such as theme keywords, place keywords, spatial boundaries, time-based values or titles, and it can be directed at all nodes of the network or to specific nodes selected by the user. The network is composed of geographically distributed clearinghouse nodes. Each node uses similar database software and is registered with the gateway. The gateway manages the interface with the user, performs the search, consolidates the search results and presents them to the user’s Internet browser. Search results are returned as the familiar ranked list of links which provide direct access to full geospatial data descriptions (metadata). When appropriate, links are also provided from the metadata to the actual data itself. Where digital data are too large to be made available through the Internet or the data products are intended to be sold, linkage to an order form may be provided. Through this model, clearinghouse metadata provides low-cost advertising for data providers, both non-commercial and commercial.
Why Develop a Clearinghouse Node for Washington State?
A Washington State Clearinghouse Node will assist in the coordination of state and local data collection and research activities by promoting the availability, quality, and requirements for digital geospatial data through a searchable online system available to users at their desktops. A clearinghouse node will minimize duplication of effort in the production of expensive digital geospatial data and foster data sharing and exchange activities by making existing data sets known. By facilitating access to geospatial data, a clearinghouse node will become a statewide asset used by agencies, students, researchers and the general public.
To be successful the clearinghouse must evolve into a useful, valuable information resource governed by workable policies and guidelines. Committed partners filling clearly defined roles that are coordinated through a Clearinghouse Steering Committee will build the Washington State Geospatial Information Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse will reside on a stable, scalable platform that is supported in a 7x24 production environment.
Commitment from partners is essential to ensure that the operational requirements are met and that a sense of continuity is established. Partners should commit to a minimum of 2 years.
Clearly Defined Roles (proposed)
Six operational roles will be filled by the proposed partners:
- Provider of Internet Server Environment - provides hardware platform, Internet connectivity and 7x24 server environment, installs Isite software
- Isite Administrator - administers Isite server software, does Isite housekeeping, generates indexes, monitors usage, storage, responds to ‘mel-access’ notifications (your server is down notices)
- Clearinghouse Administrator - serves as initial point of contact for organizations interested in using the clearinghouse (either as a content provider or as a user looking for spatial data), provides posting access to clearinghouse for organizations metadata, coordinates directory access, insures/promotes minimum metadata compliance, promotes use of appropriate clearinghouse tools (CNS and MP)
- Clearinghouse / Metadata Support - provides education in concepts and use of: NSDI Clearinghouse, FGDC Metadata, WA clearinghouse approach, metadata collection tools, metadata parsing tools (CNS and MP), conducts periodic ‘metadata creation’ workshops, promotes use of clearinghouse
- Information Providers - provides and maintains metadata in appropriate formats, uses CNS and MP to create and maintain their directory of metadata
- WAGIC Clearinghouse Steering Committee - composed of representatives from clearinghouse partnership and several information provider organizations. Provides forum for discussion and resolution of operational issues and a mechanism for adopting operational policy/guidelines.
Workable Policies and Guidelines
The clearinghouse will operate with a workable set of standards and guidelines that are centered on those adopted by the FGDC. The Clearinghouse Steering Committee will be the forum for adopting these policies and guidelines. Policies and Guidelines will reflect the following:
- A logically centralized clearinghouse model that is implemented using a controlled number of nodes. The intent is to avoid node proliferation and low value Washington based sites
- FGDC Metadata Content Standard that at a minimum will include the basic and/or working subsets of the Washington Metadata Content Standard
- Data owners create and directly maintain their metadata (and data) on the clearinghouse using CNS and MP to promote a level of compliance to the Metadata Content Standard
- Encourage use of thesauri for keywords (theme, place, etc.)
- Anticipates and evolves with Washington Framework Management Group activities.
- Washington Framework Management Group is charged with developing seven standard theme-based geospatial data sets for Washington State
For the information provider, the clearinghouse will serve as a clear implementation path to organizations looking for a way to document and /or ‘advertise’ their geospatial data holdings. They will be able to leverage existing clearinghouse infrastructure, tools and support rather that reinvent a similar but less global solution. Periodic training will be available to address the use of a selected tools to collect, edit and post metadata to the clearinghouse. For the organization or person seeking geospatial information, the clearinghouse will provide a logical gateway to the information they need. As the information content of the clearinghouse grows so will its reputation as "the place to go" if you are looking for information about Washington state’s geospatial data. Also, the clearinghouse will likely serve as a home to other kinds of geospatial information like Survey Control Points and GIS (geographic information systems) resources lists.
Hardware:
There are several options that the Clearinghouse partnership will need to explore with regard to hardware platform. These include the possibility of utilizing recently or soon to be surplused Unix platforms, (potential donors include WADOT and WADNR), or purchasing a suitable PC platform.
Server software:
The Washington State Clearinghouse, where appropriate, will utilize the public domain tools and software supported by the FGDC. This will include the Isite Server software and metadata parsing tools (CNS and MP).
Create a permanent* Washington State Geospatial Information Clearinghouse Node.
- Identify interested partners
- Create Steering Committee
- Develop operational procedures and specifications
- Determine costs for implementation and maintenance
- Assign roles and responsibilities
- Seek funding/equipment
- Migrate clearinghouse node
- Develop statewide strategy for promoting clearinghouse contributions and use
- Provide tools and educational support
*In June, 1997, the Washington State Geospatial Clearinghouse was temporarily installed on a University of Washington Geography Department Internet server and was officially registered as a Clearinghouse node with the FGDC ‘s Clearinghouse Gateway. Twenty metadata records are currently on the Washington Clearinghouse (five statewide coverages provided by the Washington Department of Natural Resources and fifteen local coverages provided by Snohomish County). The focus of this proposal is to create a partnership to provide a permanent home and long-term operational support for the Washington State Geospatial Information Clearinghouse. The UW Department of Geography has not committed to long-term support for the clearinghouse.