MetaView/GIS: The GIS Spatial Browser 
Its Design, Implementation and Operation 
Samuel Effah, 
Cherian Chaly, 
Wenjing Zhu 
Geographic Information System’s Division 
Natural Resources Canada, 
615 Booth Street, 
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A9 
Abstract 
Facility for browsing metadata helps users to save their valuable time identify- 
ing and locating data they need. MetaView/GIS is a spatial browser that pro- 
vides this facility to users. It provides access to metadata of various databases, 
namely, information on specific data sets, location, ownership, format, cost of 
access, eic. A user can query the metadata to access further information not 
directly visible via the user interface. Visualization of data before exchange is 
also important to most users in order to decide whether the data is suitable or 
not. This can be done by displaying it through a complementary software. 
Although the computing, data communications and graphics technologies pro- 
vide the opportunity to do just that, not many organizations have resolved to 
achieve this. GIS Division provides a solution to these and similar questions 
with an implementation of a GIS Spatial Browser which serves as a front end to 
a network of spatial topological databases. This paper will discuss the philoso- 
phy behind the design of MetaView/GIS, its functionalities and services. 
Keywords: Metadata, Spatial, browser, database, data set, GUI 
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