Digital geospatial catalogs will provide this key capability in spatial data infrastructures, from enterprise to global. OGC works closely with ISO TC 211, the international standards group concerned with geoprocessing and geodata. The EC's Joint Research Center was also involved in th at submission. Star Informatics of Belgium was the European partner in the other of the two competing technical submissions. And the same specification will, of course, provide a basis for catalogs around the world.
Catalogs are only as good as the metadata by which geodata entries are indexed.
In the new world of interoperable geoprocessing, metadata standards and data content standards will continue to be necessary, and will in fact become more important as commerce in geodata grows and as data becomes more abundant. It's true that metadata tasks will be aided by tools that will make it easier to develop conformant data. And other tools will automatically filter through metadata on hundreds of sites to help users find the best possible data for a particular purpose, even when the metadata are not entirely conformant or consistent. But these tools will augment, not replace data coordination. OGC seeks broad participation in its consensus process, and invites European stakeholders to participate in whatever way best serves their needs.