Kartenportal.CH
Establishment of a virtual library for maps and geodata with meta-information for geodata offerings and a central map search
| Project management : | Jost Schmid, Zentralbibliothek Zürich |
| Contact: | jost.schmid[at]zb.uzh.ch |
| Duration : | 01.2008-12.2011 |
The demand for geo-information is strongly increasing today. With new technologies like GIS (geographic information system), the geodata market is booming and concerns nearly all areas of society (science, economy, administration, planning, traffic, private sector). Geo-information also plays an important role in solving future global problems.
Compared with text information, the provision of geo-information by libraries and other information agencies is still in the early stages. By establishing a portal in E-Lib.ch, the project offers an important contribution to the allocation and provision of this type of information.
As a meta-information system, the portal leads the user via the internet to the various map- and geodata holdings and therefore provides a service not only to the users but also to the providers of geodata and maps.
The project Kartenportal.ch offers the following contents :
- Comprehensive meta-information about geodata offerings in Switzerland (Swiss, cantonal and private geodata providers). Arrangements with KOGIS and the Swiss catalogue for geodata GeoCat are planned.
- Important meta-information for maps and geodata world-wide
- Access to online offerings of digital map-collections in Switzerland (e.g. Ryhiner Map Collection in Berne, manuscript maps of the Zentralbibliothek Zurich, Siegfriedkarten, Virtual Library Imhof at ETH-Bibliothek Zurich)
- Central annotation of map and geodata offerings in Swiss libraries and archives through OPACS and the future search system of the E-Lib.ch project swissbib
- Initiation of a Swiss map catalogue which includes a tool for spatial-graphic search
Points 1-3 were realised in a first step as a link collection under www.kartenportal.ch.
In a second and final step the linked websites will be catalogued and then, in consideration of international interchange formats and interfaces, made available as metadata-information through a database.
The realisation of points 4 and 5, the central annotation of maps in libraries and archives, happens in three steps:
A link access for the retrieval of map contents in various Swiss OPAC’s has already been established.
In cooperation with swissbib, one objective of the project is to provide a uniform search interface.
A longer-term task within the framework of this project is the initiation of a Swiss map catalogue which includes a tool for spatial-graphic search.
Proposed follow-up projects :
- Further development of the initiated Swiss map catalogue with spatial search function
- Further training possibilities for the use of geo-information in libraries. Train the trainers. Possible additions in Curricula-aspects.
The project is implemented in cooperation with the following institutions :
- ETH-Bibliothek
- Eawag-Empa Library
- Zentralbibliothek Zürich
- Eidg. Forschungsanstalt Wald, Schnee und Landschaft (WSL)
- swisstopo
- Universitätsbibliothek Bern
