Metadata Management with ISO 19115 - The Key to Success of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI)

Abstract

Spatial data infrastructures are among the much discussed subjects in the field of geodata management. At the forefront is the issue of providing and marketing geodata. The reasons are firstly the intention to lower the cost pressure on public geodata providers and secondly the anticipation of new markets by private-sector providers. We believe that in spite of a certain recent boom the role of metadata is still not sufficient discussed, although metadata are the essential basis and precondition of a functioning geodata market. Metadata are needed to systematically document geodata and are crucial for their integration in marketing processes and workflows. Actually without well documented metadata no SDI will ever work. In addition, with the availability of large metadata sets new methods can be applied and developed to measure quality of available geodata and new research can be conducted for advanced handling of geodata within everyday workflows and processes. With this paper we contribute to the current discussions about SDI and put the focus on Metadata Information Systems (MIS) within a SDI which we are convicted no SDI can do without.