Developed under the CGDI GeoInnovations program by Intelec Geomatics (Intelec) and its partners, SoftMap Technologies, CrossDraw, and the Centre for Research in Geomatics (CRG) of Laval University.
               

Stakeholders involved in distributing and accessing geospatial data agree that the first stage in achieving this goal is the documentation of data sets or the entry of metadata. Standards organisations (FGDC, ISO/TC211, OpenGIS) have identified metadata as a priority in their work and geospatial data infrastructures such as the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) often start with the implementation of services related to metadata (discovery, evaluation, access).

However, the gathering of metadata is often a tedious and frustrating exercise that discourages most organisations that have started the cataloguing of their data sets. They are confronted with complex standards that do not handle all of their particularities and existing tools are not user-friendly. These tools have a steep learning curve, limited flexibility with regards to accepting metadata based on different standards, different versions of a same standard, or user-specific metadata, and usually do not work properly in any language other than English.

The M³CAT (Multistandard, Multilingual Metadata Cataloguing) tool was developed under the CGDI GeoInnovations program to resolve these problems. Based on more than 10 years of research and practical experiences, M³CAT has been designed and developed to offer flexibility and to benefit from the World Wide Web environment.

First, it allows users to configure their own metadata fields using the ones delivered with the tool (FGDC, ISO/TC211, GILS and NBII), i.e. to build their own profile of a standard, including language and cultural particularities. Second, users can customise the user interface for standard values such as pull-down lists, establish default values for numerous metadata fields (organisation name, projection system, etc.), use templates that correspond to the type of data set they document and then take advantage of cataloguing aids such as Wizards, metadata inheritance between data sets and translation into another language to facilitate the development of metadata databases. Third, it is ready to support the translation between standards (ex. for a ISO querying of FGDC metadata base) and among different versions of a same standard. Fourth, M³CAT also integrates a multi-projection, multi-datum geographic viewer to enter data set bounding co-ordinates.

M³CAT is provided free to potential users and has been tested with half a dozen governmental organisations involved in the management of geospatial data. It works in a Web environment, supports XML and SGML and can interface to the ANSI/NISO Z39.50 FGDC GEO profile.

Partners

M³CAT was developed by Intelec Geomatics (Intelec) and its partners, SoftMap Technologies, CrossDraw, and the Centre for Research in Geomatics (CRG) of Laval University. It has been tested with four governmental organisations involved in the management of geospatial data: Elections Canada, Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada and the Plan géomatique of the Quebec Government. M³Cat is built on a rich experience on both the theoretical and practical sides as well as on several collaborative projects between industry and academia for more than 6 years. On the one hand, in 1995, Intelec had developed, within the GEOSCOPE Network project (financed by the CANARIE program) a metadata cataloguing tool with a number of interesting features (Intelec 2000).

This GEOSCOPE tool is currently used by Natural Resources Canada (National Atlas), Environment Canada, Transports Canada, Quebec’s ministry of Natural Resources, as well as in Egypt and Venezuela. An average of 25 agencies download the tool every month.

On the other hand, Laval’s CRG has made fundamental R&D (including participation to GEOSCOPE), practical experiences and published several thesis and papers since 1989 on the topic of geospatial metadata management. They have implemented what is known as the first Geospatial Data Infrastructure in the world geared specifically for academic purposes and have given continuing education courses on this topic in Canada and Europe.

Finally, SoftMap had over the last five (5) years developed tools for the uses of multi datum, multi projections image maps over the Web.

The experience gained over the years in the development and support of such type of tool allowed the project team to identify what would be the features of a new improved metadata cataloguing tool.

Benefits

In the scientific area, M³CAT has allowed the research and development of innovative concepts for a metamodel which can be applied to manage any known metadata standard (FGDC, NBII, GILS, ISO). It allows also the use of any language as well as modifications to languages to take into account cultural profiles.

In the technical area M³CAT allows the use of the Web for metadata documentation as well as the use of Data Base Management Systems (Access, Oracle) or XML to manage the data.

In the business areas, Intelec plans to use the tool as a way to increase its sale of services related to the implementation of spatial data infrastructures while SoftMap plans to use the technologies developed in its products.

The tool is easy to use which should facilitate the documentation of geospatial data sets by agencies wishing to connect to CGDI. More geospatial data availability will translate into better management of land and natural resources, better sustainable development and stronger emergency preparedness.

What is ?

M³CAT is a tool that assist users in entering and managing metadata about geospatial data sets. Metadata consist of information that characterises data. Metadata are used to provide documentation for data. In essence, metadata answer who, what, when, where, why, and how about every facet of the data that are being documented. Online systems for handling metadata need to rely on their being predictable in both form and content. Predictability is assured only by conformance to standards. There are many standards for metadata such as the FGDC  (http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/contstan.html)   Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, the GILS standard (http://www.gils.net/), the NBII standard (http://www.nbii.gov/datainfo/metadata/standards/) and the ISO/TC211 metadata standard. Organisations also tend to define a profile of metadata for their own applications, encompassing validation rules and customisation which take into account their particularities.

What is particular about ?

M³CAT allows users to enter metadata using any standard (Multistandard) and any language (Multilingual). It is provided with the FGDC, GILS, NBII and ISO 19115 metadata standards and in English and French. Functions are available to add other standards and/or languages.

What are the main concepts behind ?

Users that document metadata in M³CAT must use a standard. M³CAT is delivered with 4 metadata standards: FGDC, GILS, NBII and ISO/TC211, but others can be developed.

For a specific standard, an organisation uses a profile. A profile adds the cultural aspect to a standard, in particular a language and other particularities. While an organisation cannot change the standard it can modify its profile using the label management functions.

Data managers can also define templates for specific types of data sets. For example a template for raster data set will only include the metadata elements relevant to this type of data set. A template can also add the particularities, or rules, that the organisation wants their metadata elements to follow. A template may include specific mandatory fields.

What are the main features?

M³CAT provides the necessary features to easily enter and update metadata.

It also provides the following features :

• A Wizard and a Help menu, as well as the ability to obtain the significance of each metadata element.
• Online validation of metadata elements according to each profile. An offline validation that verifies metadata completeness (mandatory fields) and an approval process that can be performed by a supervisor.
• The capability to translate the metadata elements into another language. Translation is a two step process : the first step automatically translates standards values into their equivalences in the new language, the second step presents the text values not translated and allows the user to edit them. Once the process completed, the user can change the status of the translation flag to completed.
• The capability to store standard values (parameters) in pick lists, such as information about an organisation, reference systems, etc. These pick-lists can be defined and modified by the user.
• The capability to store metadata on different levels (parent and child) of data sets (granularity) such as at data base, map sheet, layer or entity levels with the capability for childs data sets to inherit the metadata values of their parent. Parent and child data sets must use the same metadata standard.
• A Map interface to assist in entering data sets bounding co-ordinates by panning and zooming on a map.
• The capability to make the metadata a clearinghouse node using either ISITE or MetaManager as a Z39.50 server.
• The capability to import or export metadata. Import and export files are in ASCII formats.

What is an access level for a data set?

M³CAT allows user to define an access level for a data set. This access level which is controlled by a number from 1 to 9, it allows user to restrict the access to the data set metadata.

What are users preferences?

M³CAT allows users to define their preferences when using the tool. Preferences include default language, metadata standard and template.

What are user privileges?

When login in, a user is assigned a privilege. This privilege identifies the functions the user can perform. Privileges are assigned by the Admin/users function. They include browsing, catalogiung, approval or administration privileges.

 

What do I need to run ?

M³CAT works within a browser, Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3 and after or Netscape Navigator version 4.0 or after.

What do I need to install ?

You need Internet Information Server under Windows NT, 95 or 98

Metadata elements are stored in either Access or Oracle.

Does allow multiple users?

M³CAT can be used in standalone or multiple users mode.