GeoNetwork opensource
| Company type | Open source software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Geospatial information management |
| Founded | 2007 |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Geospatial cataloging software |
The GeoNetwork opensource (GNOS) initiative represents a free, open source software (FOSS) solution designed for cataloging spatially referenced assets, functioning as a directory for geospatial information.
Outline
GeoNetwork establishes a uniform, distributed framework for managing spatial data, enabling access to geo-tagged databases, map products, and associated metadata sourced from multiple origins. It facilitates improved exchange of spatial information between institutions and their stakeholders by leveraging internet technologies. Through the Z39.50 protocol, it retrieves information from external catalogs and distributes its own data to other cataloging services. Since 2007, GeoNetwork has adhered to the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Catalog Service specifications.
Maps, including those generated from satellite data, serve as essential resources for decision-makers such as planners focused on sustainable development and emergency response coordinators who require rapid, dependable, and intuitive cartographic outputs for planning and oversight purposes. GIS specialists gain from sharing standardized geographic datasets, while spatial analysts draw on interdisciplinary data sets for initial evaluations and predictive modeling.
Deployment
Organizations like FAO GeoNetwork and WFP VAM-SIE-GeoNetwork have implemented GeoNetwork at their headquarters in Rome. Additional prominent users include WHO, CGIAR, BRGM, ESA, FGDC, and China's Global Change Information and Research Centre (GCIRC), all employing the platform to improve spatial data management.
The system supports a variety of risk information frameworks, with notable application in the Gambia.
GeoNetwork is frequently distributed alongside complementary software such as GeoServer, which handles geographic data storage, whereas GeoNetwork specializes in organizing these geospatial data collections.