Spatial Data Infrastructure of Catalonia (CSDI/IDEC). Technological aspects: GML, WFS and Catalogue Services Implementation.
Victor Pascual Ayats-IDEC (CSDI) PROJECT
At the beginning of year 2002 the Autonomous Government of Catalonia (Spain) started the SDI Project. One year later, it can offer a framework of services: a Catalog Server which contents more than 18.000 Metadata records in three languages (English, Spanish and Catalan) afforded by around 75 entities: Ministries, Town Halls, private companies, etc.; connection to different interoperable map servers and a Geo-portal gathering these and other services which are based on the ISO metadata (19115, 19139) standars on OGC specifications ( WMS, WFS, WCS, GML, WRS,CAT) and WebServices specifications (WSDL,SOAP).
Presently, the SDI Project can be considered a motor based on three main services: Web Mapping, Catalog Search and GeoServices. Although each service has its own independent operation both are becoming the basis of high level services like a platform where other organizations may develop services and applications of high added value. In other words, CSDI is a supplier of low level services on which the own SDI and other entities may develop new high level services (emergency response, e-government, application services problem oriented, etc.)
This paper will present the most important technological issues in the creation and maintenance of the CSDI, with an in-depth analysis of the Catalog Services and the use of GML in the different implemented Geoservices.