Geographic Information on the WEB - Problems and Solutions

Geographical metainformation is quite a neglected resource but is the basis for a greater use of existing geographical information. From a commercial point of view it is also an excellent stimulus for the development of service, data and product markets. Metainformation is indispensable for users as it allows them to find out the existence of geographical data along with their content and quality; and suppliers can learn about the quality of data produced and publish it. This work analyses various scenarios in which suppliers and users are related via different organizational solutions. There are thus different constraints with regard to technical solutions. Finally, a new product in a prototype form is presented. It enables effective searches for geographical data on the Internet, using both geographical and alphanumerical criteria. The constant alignment between the data and the relative metainformation along with the use of a standard for the metainformation are shown to be critical elements in this sector.