This document specifies a profile of the OGC Catalog Service for the Web (CSW) 2.0.2 using the ISO 19115/ISO19119 metadata content model, with support for XML encoding per ISO19139 and HTTP protocol binding. The profile relies on requirements coming from the CS/CSW 2.0.2 specification (OGC CSW 2.0.2, OGC document 07-006).
The OpenGIS® Geography Markup Language Encoding Standard (GML) is an XML grammar for expressing geographical features. GML serves as a modeling language for geographic systems as well as an open interchange format for geographic transactions on the Internet. As with most XML based grammars, there are two parts to the grammar – the schema that describes the document and the instance document that contains the actual data.
The OpenGIS® Catalogue Services Interface Standard (CAT) supports the
ability to publish and search collections of descriptive information
(metadata) about geospatial data, services and related resources.
Providers of resources use catalogues to register metadata that conform
to the provider's choice of an information model; such models include
descriptions of spatial references and thematic information. Client
applications can then search for geospatial data and services in very
efficient ways.
A useful basic description of CSW function can be found at this OGC Tutorial.
