A geospatial data catalog and metadata management tools for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Western Ecology Division

Abstract

The EPA’s Western Ecology Division (WED) had been accumulating geographic information system (GIS) data files for up to 20 years. There was no index or catalog for these files; locating data became more difficult over time. More that 4 Tb of data existed on numerous disk volumes in hundreds of directories. These GIS data files included current and historical WED projects and locally downloaded copies of various national or regional datasets. Metadata was sparse or non-existent. A GIS catalog was implemented for organizing and maintaining these data. The catalog allows advanced search capabilities for the purpose of quickly locating specific GIS data files maintained within the WED. Metadata are a key component of the system; the process of creating metadata has been streamlined using a custom ArcCatalog extension. Once a metadata record is created, it is cataloged by an automated process. The catalog was implemented largely with existing resources and requires low administrative overhead. The components have been implemented, however, widespread testing of the system has yet to occur. Without a continued commitment to the project, institutional inertia may stall it.