Mercury is a Web-based system to search for metadata and retrieve associated data. Mercury incorporates a number of important features. Mercuury:
Invokes a new paradigm for managing dynamic distributed scientific data and metadata
Provide a single portal to information contained in disparate data management systems
Provide free text, fielded, spatial, and temporal search capabilities
Puts control in the hands of investigators or other data providers
Has a very light touch (i.e., is inexpensive to implement)
Is implemented using Internet standards, including XML
Supports international metadata standards, including FGDC, Dublin-Core, EML, ISO-19115
Is compatible with Internet search engines
Is based on a combination of open source tools and ORNL-developed software
The new Mercury system is based on open source and Service Oriented Architecture and provides multiple search services including: RSS, Geo-RSS, OpenSearch, Web Services and JSR-168 Portlets.
