Geonetwork

Geonetwork
Name	Geonetwork
Title	Geonetwork
Developer	Open Source Community
Released	2000s
Programming language	Java
Operating system	Cross-platform
License	GNU General Public License

Geonetwork Geonetwork is an open-source catalog application used for managing spatially referenced metadata, enabling discovery, access, and sharing across diverse collections. It integrates with established systems and standards to facilitate interoperability among organizations such as United Nations, European Commission, World Bank, and national mapping agencies. The platform is commonly deployed by institutions including NASA, European Space Agency, USGS, and national statistical offices to support programs like INSPIRE, GEO, and Copernicus.

Overview

Geonetwork provides a metadata cataloging service that supports harvesting, search, and metadata editing for datasets, services, and resources. Organizations such as United Nations Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, World Meteorological Organization, and International Organization for Standardization rely on catalogs to connect portals like data.gov, Copernicus Open Access Hub, and Global Earth Observation System of Systems. Implementations often interoperate with software from Esri, OpenLayers, QGIS, PostGIS, and GeoServer while integrating with infrastructures promoted by European Commission, Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, and Group on Earth Observations.

Features and Architecture

The application offers metadata editing, full-text search, spatial search, OGC service discovery, and CSW endpoints compatible with OGC, ISO, and Dublin Core profiles. Its architecture commonly uses Java servlet containers such as Apache Tomcat, search engines like Apache Lucene and Elasticsearch, and databases like PostgreSQL with PostGIS extensions. Geonetwork deployments frequently interface with map servers and catalog services including GeoServer, MapServer, Mapbox, and Carto, as well as identity providers like LDAP, Active Directory, and OAuth providers such as Google and Microsoft Azure. For harvesting and synchronization, it works with OAI-PMH sources including Europeana, INSPIRE registries, and national geoportals operated by Ordnance Survey, IGN, and USGS.

Installation and Deployment

Installation typically involves Linux distributions such as Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, and Red Hat, with containerized deployments using Docker and orchestration through Kubernetes and OpenShift. Continuous integration and delivery pipelines employ Jenkins, GitLab CI, and GitHub Actions, while configuration management uses Ansible, Puppet, and Chef to automate setups used by agencies like NASA Earthdata, European Environment Agency, and NOAA. Cloud deployments leverage platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and DigitalOcean, integrating object storage from Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Azure Blob Storage for large datasets managed by institutions like the World Bank, European Space Agency, and JAXA.

Data Standards and Interoperability

Geonetwork supports metadata standards and profiles including ISO 19115, ISO 19139, ISO 19110, Dublin Core, FGDC, and INSPIRE metadata implementing rules. It exposes and consumes services compliant with OGC standards such as CSW, WMS, WFS, WCS, and WMTS to enable interoperability with portals like GeoNode, CKAN, ArcGIS Online, and Socrata. Integration with semantic web technologies uses RDF, SKOS, and SPARQL endpoints compatible with projects like Linked Open Data, DBpedia, and Wikidata. Interoperation with catalog and registry frameworks links to initiatives such as GEOSS, Copernicus, and national spatial data infrastructures used by Land Registry, cadastral agencies, and statistical offices including Eurostat.

Use Cases and Applications

Common use cases include national spatial data infrastructures (NSDI) run by cadastre authorities, heritage inventories maintained by UNESCO, conservation datasets curated by IUCN, and disaster management resources used by Red Cross and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Research institutions such as CERN, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Lamont‑Doherty Earth Observatory deploy catalogs for marine, atmospheric, and earth sciences datasets. Other applications include urban planning projects led by UN-Habitat, transportation agencies like European Railway Agency, public health data managed by WHO, and climate data portals from IPCC-related programs.

Development and Community

Development is driven by contributors from universities, research centers, and companies including 52°North, OpenGeo, Boundless (formerly), and various national mapping agencies. The community collaborates through mailing lists, GitHub repositories, issue trackers, and events like FOSS4G, AGU, and EGU to coordinate features, security updates, and roadmaps. Funding and support come from multilateral programs such as Horizon 2020, European Regional Development Fund, and national research councils, while training and documentation are provided in partnership with organizations like Red Hat, ESRI Training Services, and local government training programs.

Category:Geographic information systems