Abstract
Abstract The collection and entry of data are very expensive, and have been identified as a major cost in establishing a working GIS. There are, therefore, considerable benefits to be gained from establishing a mechanism that will identify the existence of datasets that have already been collected and entered and may therefore be available for use by others. With the widespread use of GIS and the consequent very rapid increase in the number of datasets being created, the problem is unlikely to be solved by using existing database technology to hold information about available datasets, and requires a radically-different approach. This article describes a system being developed by the Midlands Regional Research Laboratory which aims to solve the problem of identifying relevant existing datasets. Both holders of data and enquirers will provide a description of the data in their own words, which will be refined interactively by the system to remove ambiguities before conducting the search. The system is to be used for the identification and retrieval of metadata within the ESRC-funded Global Environmental Change Data Network Facility in the United Kingdom.
Published Version
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