Free Geography Tools

The new stable release of MapWindow, with its built-in metadata editor and viewer, reminded me that I had a folder full of bookmarks to other metadata-related software. I may get around to longer posts on each of these at some point, but for now, I’ll just put up links and descriptions from the websites.

CatMDEdit: “CatMDEdit is a metadata editor tool that facilitates the documentation of resources, with special focus on the description of geographic information resources.” Note: Multiplatform, written in Java.

Computerized Process and Quality Assurance (CPQA): “CPQA is being developed as an automated QA/QC process for spatial data collection. It will assist the contract monitor and the contractor with this process and provide the Corps with the most efficient and cost effective means of evaluating a surveying and mapping project. The current version (CPQA Beta) is a Windows-based software package that assists the user in the production of a Scope of Work for surveys such as topographic, hydrographic, boundary, control, photogrammetric, etc. Based on user input and guidance from USACE Engineering Manuals and Engineering Circulars, the software provides suggestions as to the accuracy, scale, measurement density, etc., needed to complete specified projects. Later modules will assist in evaluating the quality of a survey and perform error checking on the survey information submitted by the contractor.”

Datalogr: “DataLogr is a free software package that helps people input and format metadata for geographic data. DataLogr (pronounced ‘data logger’) was developed and copyrighted by IMAGIN, a consortium of organizations in Michigan.”

Enraemed: “The Enraemed software is a freeware client/server or stand-alone metadata software collection tool. Enraemed will allow you to develop, archive and distribute your metadata according to metadata standards such as ISO, FGDC, Dublin Core and GILS. The backend database is Microsoft SQL.”

EPA Metadata Editor (EME): “The EPA Metadata Editor (EME) was developed to simplify and standardize geospatial metadata development across the Agency. It allows users to create and edit geospatial metadata records that meet the EPA Geospatial Metadata Technical Specification and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM) requirements.” Addendum: Requires ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 1 or higher

ImseVimse: “ImseVimse is a full-fledged graphical IMS metadata editor written in Java. It is a spin-off from the Conzilla project.”

Metadata Authoring Tool (MATT): “MATT runs from within a web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape or Mozilla and has been written using a combination of XHTML and client-side JavaScript. Therefore it can be used either over the internet, across a network or directly from your hard-drive (offline).”

Metadata Enterprise Resource Management Aid (MERMAid): “NCDDC provides coastal data resources (organizations and individuals) with a web-based tool to develop, validate, manage and publish metadata records via secure internet access. The Metadata Enterprise Resource Management Aid (MERMAid) allows users/data providers to establish unlimited metadata databases to organize their metadata records any way they see fit (i.e. by program, project, data type, personnel).”

More in the next post …