GI-cat Documentation

Overview

GI-cat features caching and mediation capabilities and can act as a broker towards disparate catalog and access services: by implementing metadata harmonization and protocol adaptation, it is able to transform query results to a uniform and consistent interface. GI-cat is based on a service-oriented framework of modular components and can be customized and tailored to support different deployment scenarios.

GI-cat can access a multiplicity of catalogs services, as well as inventory and access services to discover, and possibly access, heterogeneous ESS resources. Specific components implement mediation services for interfacing heterogeneous service providers which expose multiple standard specifications; they are called Accessors. These mediating components map the heterogeneous providers metadata models into a uniform data model which implements the ISO 19115 Core profile. Accessors also implement the query protocol mapping; they translate the query requests expressed according to the interface protocols exposed by GI-cat, into the multiple query dialects spoken by the resource service providers. Currently, a number of well-accepted catalog and inventory services are supported, including several OGC Web Services (e.g. WCS, WMS), THREDDS Data Server, SeaDataNet Common Data Index, and GBIF. A list of test endpoints is here available. If you want to have also your endpoint listed, please contact us.

GI-cat itself exposes several interfaces, including the OGC CSW interfaces (Core, ISO, ebRIM EO and ebRIM CIM). The query and result mediation is implemented by the Profilers). A Distributor component implements the query distribution functionalities (e.g. results aggregation).

- Supported sources:

• OGC WCS 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.2 Specification Mapping details
• OGC WMS 1.3.0, 1.1.1 Specification
• OGC WFS 1.0.0 Specification
• OGC WPS 1.0.0 Specification
• OGC SOS 1.0.0 Specification
• OGC CSW 2.0.2 Core, AP ISO 1.0, ebRIM/CIM, ebRIM/EO, CWIC Specification
• WAF Web Accessible Folders 1.0 Specification
  
• THREDDS 1.0.1, 1.0.2 Specification Mapping details Configuration guide
• THREDDS-NCISO 1.0.1, 1.0.2 Specification Mapping details
• THREDDS-NCISO-PLUS 1.0.1, 1.0.2 Specification Mapping details
• CDI 1.04, 1.3, 1.4 Mapping details 1.6 Mapping details
• GI-cat 6.x, 7.x Specification
• GBIF Specification Configuring GBIF
• GeoNetwork (versions 2.2.0 and 2.4.1) catalog service
• Deegree (version 2.2) catalog service
• ESRI ArcGIS Geoportal (version 10) catalog service Specification Configuration guide
• OpenSearch 1.1 accessor Specification
• OAI-PMH 2.0 (support to ISO19139 and dublin core formats) Specification
• NetCDF-CF 1.4 Specification Mapping details Configuration guide
• NCML-CF Specification Mapping details Configuration guide
• NCML-OD Specification
• ISO19115-2
  
• GeoRSS 2.0 RSS Specifcation GeoRSS Specification Mapping details
• GDACS Homepage
• DIF Specification Mapping
• File system Configuration guide
• SITAD (Sistema Informativo Territoriale Ambientale Diffuso) accessor
  
• INPE Web interface Mapping details
• HYDRO Specification Mapping details

- Available catalog interfaces:

• OGC CSW 2.0.2 AP ISO 1.0 Specification
• OGC CSW 2.0.2 ebRIM EO Specification
• OGC CSW 2.0.2 ebRIM CIM Specification
• ESRI GEOPORTAL 10 Specification Configuration guide
• OAI-PMH 2.0 Specification
• OpenSearch 1.1 Specification Mapping to Atom details Configuring and using the OpenSearch interface
• OpenSearch 1.1 ESIP Specification Mapping to Atom details Configuring and using the OpenSearch interface
• OpenSearch GENESI DR Configuring and using the OpenSearch interface
• GI-cat extended interface Specification

Howto and manuals

A slideshow to learn more about GI-cat and its context is available.

An excellent video guide for configuring GI-cat is available . It is created and published by Rich Signell.

GI-portal GI-portal is a simple web client for GI-cat. It is shipped along with GI-cat server, so you can use it also to perform post installation checks very easily.

Publications

A list of available GI-cat publications

• S. Nativi, L. Bigagli, “Discovery, Mediation, and Access Services for Earth Observation Data”, Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, IEEE Journal of Volume 2, No 4, Page(s):233 – 240, 2009 URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=05200393
• Nativi, S.; Bigagli, L.; Mazzetti, P.; Boldrini, E.; Papeschi, F., "GI-Cat: A Mediation Solution for Building a Clearinghouse Catalog Service," Advanced Geographic Information Systems & Web Services, 2009. GEOWS '09. International Conference on , vol., no., pp.68-74, 1-7 Feb. 2009
  URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=4782694&isnumber=4782675
• Nativi, S.; Bigagli, L.; Mazzetti, P.; Mattia, U.; Boldrini, E., "Discovery, query and access services for imagery, gridded and coverage data a clearinghouse solution," Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2007. IGARSS 2007. IEEE International , vol., no., pp.4021-4024, 23-28 July 2007
  Abstract: The development of catalog clearinghouse solutions is a near-term challenge in support of fully functional and useful infrastructures for spatial data. We present an experimental catalog clearinghouse for Imagery, gridded and coverage data. The solution supports data discovery, evaluation, query distribution and mediation of several well-known catalog systems.
  URL:  http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=4423731&isnumber=4422708
  
• Bigagli, L.; Nativi, S.; Mazzetti, P.; Villoresi, G., "GI-Cat: a Web service for dataset cataloguing based on ISO 19115," Database and Expert Systems Applications, 2004. Proceedings. 15th International Workshop on , vol., no., pp. 846-850, 30 Aug.-3 Sept. 2004
  URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=1333582&isnumber=29439
  

Technical Information

The GI-cat catalog v.6 service specification covers details about GI-cat architecture and available interfaces. This would be primarily useful to the aim of writing a client for GI-cat.