We would like to remind you that Gigateway will be closing down its service from 31 March 2011 and bring your attention to new guidance published on the UK Location website.
Gigateway was launched in 2000, and has now reached the end of its useful life. Gigateway will be replaced by a new metadata service as part of UK Location. Details can be found on the UK Location website athttp://location.defra.gov.uk/
UK Location has also developed an open source Web Browser-based metadata editor in two formats – online and as a download for local server installation. The Editor has been designed to enable Data Providers and Publishers to create quickly and cheaply UK Location compliant discovery metadata resources for datasets, data series and online services. It also allows import of your current records created by the MetaGenie tool.
Full details of the new tool are available on the UK Location website at http://location.defra.gov.uk/
These developments are part of the UK’s implementation of the INSPIRE directive and UK Location Strategy[1]. INSPIRE lays down a general framework for a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) for the purposes of European Community environmental policies and policies or activities which may have an impact on the environment. Its prime objectives are data exchange, data sharing and data re-use, for effective governance and policy making purposes. It is based on an infrastructure for spatial information, established and operated by the Member States, and requires full implementation by 2019. INSPIRE is European legislation to which the UK and other EU member nations are bound.
