[mapserver-users] OT: Cataloguing masses of spatial data

[Obe, Regina DND\MIS]

We've been working on the same thing here too, but mostly to figure which
datasets each department in our larger organization has and have set up
metadata questions to this end. (most questions like spatial extent, format,
who maintains it - FGDC XML dump where available)  

The main objectives are to
1) Create a searchable repository  (still programming that) so that we can
better share spatial and geocodable data.
2) To minimize on duplication of effort - e.g. we've got about 10 different
versions of boston building maps, 10 different definitions of neighborhood
boundaries etc. and each department has been modifying each in a vacuum

3) Find out which datasets we are missing or need to be updated so that we
can better pool our money together (e.g. expense of fly-overs that can be
used for simulating construction planning or updating our building
footprints etc.)

-----Original Message-----
From: Tyler Mitchell [mailto:TMitchell at lignum.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2002 12:50 PM
To: mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu
Subject: [mapserver-users] OT: Cataloguing masses of spatial data


Hi guys and gals,
I'm reorganizing our corporate spatail data and have made up a few tools to
recursively search through folders for spatial (GDAL/OGR recognized)
datasets.  Then it saves an entry into a comma separated file which I can
then load into a database.  I hope to be able to use this database
(somehow) for looking up datasets in the future.  I will be building in
metadata that will link to a file location.

Has anyone else been doing anything like this?  I'd love to get the
discussion going.  It's kinda based on the concept of the WMS
getcapabilities - but with a much broader scope - i.e. not for use in
mapserver per se but as a data management tool that could help users know
what data is available for use as a layer in mapserver.

Anyway, I'm not explaining my thoughts very well.  But essentially I'm
building a database catalogue of our spatial database and would like to end
up using it for more than a "manger-level" lookup of what kind of data we
have in our company.  Doing anything similar?  Any other related ideas?

Tyler