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Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2000 11:01:41 +0100
From: "Etheridge, Anne" <[log in to unmask]>
JISC DNER - Geo-data Browser Project Workshop and
Geo-Crosswalk Project Workshop
EDINA and the History Data Service are seeking additional
participants for two 1-day workshops to be held on the
Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th October 2000 at Wivenhoe House
Hotel, University of Essex, Colchester. If you would like
to put your name on the list of potential participants,
please send your name, title, organization, and other
contact information, along with a statement of your
interest in the topic of either or both of the workshops to
[log in to unmask]
The workshops are part of the requirements generation stage
of two feasibility studies. The first is into the provision
of a Z39.50 compliant geo-data portal and metadata browser
for UK HE and FE as part of the Distributed National
Electronic Resource (DNER). This project is a
10-month project. The second feasibility study is into the
provision of a British and Irish Gazetteer Service. The
project, called 'Geo-Crosswalk', is a 6-month project.
Both projects are collaborative between EDINA, based at the
Data Library, University of Edinburgh and the History Data
Service, based at the Data Archive. The projects are funded
by the UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). MIMAS
and the Archaeological Data Service are assisting on the
projects.
Geo-data Browser Project Workshop
Increasing amounts of geo-data are being created within UK
HE and demand for access is growing within academia.
However, two major barriers confront the potential user of
geo-data resources: first, how to find out what
geo-data exist given the high scale, diversity and
complexity of data available; second, having located it,
how to ascertain its quality and suitability for use.
The solution to overcoming these barriers, which will be
investigated by this project, is to provide comprehensive,
standardised metadata, available via a geo-data browser,
which in turn will form the core of a geo-data portal for
UK HE. A geo-data browser would provide researchers and
teaching staff with a way of identifying what geo-data
exists within UK HE. It is hoped that the resulting
service would form a node of the National Geo-spatial Data
Framework (NGDF) Gateway (http:// www.ngdf.org.uk/).
The workshop is designed to bring together individuals
within HE who are generators of geo-data, providers of
geo-data services, or potential users of a geo-data portal
and browser.
We are looking for individuals who can contribute to
discussions about how both the portal and browser might
best be developed. The primary objectives of the workshop
are to identify the scope, needs and general requirements of
a geo-data portal, to then focus on the specific
requirements of a geo-data browser and to inform the future
work of the project in designing, populating and
implementing the system. It is hoped that a representative
of the NGDF will be present to talk about the NGDF Gateway.
Geo-Crosswalk Project Workshop
A gazetteer service (server) would assist metadata creators
by providing a 'processing engine' for converting
geographic names to a standard spatial coding scheme. It
would parse metadata records to identify geographic
names (current and historical), and convert them into
geographic 'footprints' expressed in a standard spatial
coding scheme such as latitude and longitude or the
Ordnance Survey National Grid. A gazetteer service would
also make it possible for information retrieval systems to
support a full range of geographic search options without
holding vast amounts of geo-spatial data. It provides the
ability to use geography to refine searches for
resources with the DNER
The workshop is designed to bring together individuals with
an interest in gazetteers, gazetteer servers or those who
might be interested in gaining access to a gazetteer server
to add a spatial search component to an existing
information service. We are looking for individuals who can
contribute to discussions about how this gazetteer service
might best be developed. The primary objective of the
workshop is to identify the scope and requirements of such
a service.
We look forward to hearing from you.
With best wishes
Dr David Medyckyj-Scott Cressida Chappell
Project Manager Head of Service
EDINA Digimap History Data Service
Data Library Data Archive
Edinburgh University University of Essex
Main Library Building Colchester
George Square CO4 3SQ
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ,
Scotland
Phone: 0131 651 1308 Phone: 01206 872326
email: [log in to unmask]
email: [log in to unmask]
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