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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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