Geospatial Metadata

For a number of years, the AGI has been running a geospatial metadata service called GiGateway. This has been funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Recently, this funding beyond March 2008 has been in doubt. We were keen to continue to run the service beyond this date, both beacuse it is useful for the AGI and because we believe in the UK having access to up-to-date relevant metadata. Also, under the INSPIRE directive, the UK must prodide a metatdata service from 2009. So stopping the service on 2008 only to find that it meeds to be resurrected in 2009 did not seem to be sensible.

We have engaged constructively with the Department for Communities and Local Govermnment over this. We did this logically and unemotionally. I am pleased to say that this engagement has had a positive result and our responsibility for running GiGateway has been extended to March 2009, albeit on a care and maintenance basis.

For this we are grateful to the Department. We intend to use this time not only to ensure that GiGateway is maintained, but also that some improvements are made to the public interface and that the awareness of the service for users is also improved. If in 2009 it is to handed over to another department or organisation, then we will ensure that it is fit for purpose.