HMA-T Contribution CNR-IMAA

Due to the existence of many disciplinary application profiles, cross-domain a catalogue service must be able to address heterogeneity as well as distribution. This implies the implementation of catalogue components for query distribution and virtual resource aggregation by applying mediation approaches. These catalogues may be referred to as fully distributed catalogues. In fact, these solutions must implement distributed discovery functionalities in a fully heterogeneous environment, which requires metadata profiles harmonization as well as protocol adaptation and mediation. Catalogue clearinghouse component should realize fully distributed catalogue services. Indeed, the development of catalogue clearinghouse solutions is a near-term challenge for cross-domain spatial data infrastructures, such as: INSPIRE, NSDI and GEOSS.
Basing on such approach, CNR-IMAA and PIN-University of Florence developed a fully distributed catalogue solution, called GI-cat. GI-cat implements a framework to federate well-accepted catalogue, inventory and access standard services. As for International standards, GI-cat supports the OGC: CS-W, WCS and WMS. As far as Community standards are considered, GI-cat federates the following services: UNIDATA THREDDS catalogue service, the CDI (Common Data Index) and the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) catalogue service.

The CNR-IMAA activity in HMA-T Phase 2 has a main objective (MO)

To support the take up of HMA defined catalogue standards by geospatial software product developers through their implementation in the GI-cat distributed catalogue middleware.

This MO translates into the following Operational Goal (OG)

Development of a reference implementation and of a conformance test framework for the HMA catalog specifications and the implementation of support for these protocols in the GI-cat distributed catalogue middleware.

• Reference implementations for HMA Catalogue Protocol OGC 06-131, and HMA Catalogue protocol OGC 07-038
• Implementation of HMA interfaces (HMA Catalogue Protocol OGC 06-131 and HMA Catalogue protocol OGC 07-038) in the GI-Cat open-source component.
• Implementation and deployment of CITE conformance test scripts for the test engine for HMA Catalogue Protocol OGC 06-131, and HMA Catalogue protocol OGC 07-038

The activities required to reach the Operational Goal are grouped in four Work Packages:

WP 0 Project Management
WP 1 Implementation and Test
WP 2 Demonstration
WP 3 Conformance Test

• OGC 06-131
• OGC 07-038