A brief overview of USGIN.

From WRP Meeting Notes:

III. Geoscience Information Network

Mr. Ryan Clark, Arizona Geological Survey, provided a presentation on The
Geoscience Information Network (GIN).  The main objective of GIN is to make
geoscience information easier to find, distribute, and analyze.  The
following approach is applicable to any geospatial resource:  1) Find
standard metadata content, standard metadata catalog service protocol; 2)
Distribute data services by utilizing common Open Geospatial Consortium
(OGC) protocols; 3) Analyze by developing data-specific schema standards to
promote real data interoperability.  He also highlighted the three levels of
interoperability: 1) Find standardized metadata for resources that may or
may not be available online; 2) Distribute resources online using standard
OGC protocols; 3) Analyze data services in dataset-specific standardized
schema.

Mr. Clark explained that a main component of GIN is development and use of
Catalog Service for the Web (CSW), this protocol insures standardized method
for searching through metadata records.  USGIN profile for ISO 19119
metadata allows for automated resource retrieval by standardizing metadata
content. Additionally, the Catalogs are capable of harvesting from one
another allow every aspect of the system to be distributed and maintained by
the responsible organizations.

Mr. Clark provided a diagram of the process of getting metadata into the
catalog, as well as demonstrations of how to search the catalog via existing
applications or on the web.  He also explained that the existing
applications can consume OGC services.  He provided an overview on the state
contributions to the National Geothermal Data System and USGIN Partners and
Collaborators. Mr. Clark explained the process of building the system
(Social Engineering): 1) starting a bootstrapping process; 2) use of
existing protocols means lots of software is already available; 3) striving
to provide simple transformation tools to ease the barrier to entry; and 4)
"the more the merrier."  It was noted that a program will not have users
until you have data.  Mr. Clark observed that WRP and GIN could link
together and support each other's respective efforts.  (Please see "Arizona
Geological Survey_Clark.ppt" for more information.)

Files: 

PowerPoint Presentation