INSPIRE tools inventory

According to the INSPIRE Directive, View and Download services should be set up for the data which is within scope and metadata should be provided. Furthermore, data needs to comply with the INSPIRE data schemes and monitoring, testing and validation of the data, metadata and services should be executed.

This page aims at building an inventory of the tools aiding the INSPIRE implementation. The OsGeo-Live environment includes Open Source software that is needed to implement these different INSPIRE components. Furthermore, several software tools have been developed within EU-funded projects and are suitable for reuse, but are often unknown to the broader community.

If you are aware of free software implementing INSPIRE specifications, please contribute to this inventory.

Software

Please add a short description of the software implementation and a link to the online resource.

Metadata management

OSGeoLive tools

• GeoNetwork is a catalog application to manage spatially referenced resources. It provides powerful metadata editing and search functions as well as an interactive web map viewer. It is currently used in numerous Spatial Data Infrastructure initiatives across the world.

Other

• INSPIRE EUOSME: (European Open Source Metadata Editor) developed by EC-JRC in the EuroGEOSS project, and deployed in the INSPIRE Geoportal to allow user to test editing capabilities and testing ISO19139 XML files. Unfortunately, the development of the editor has been discontinued.
• INSPIRE Excel file: developed within GeoSmartCity project to collect INSPIRE XML19139 compliant metadata in easy and quick way
• smartEditor: smartEditor is a web based editor to easily create and update metadata documents on geospatial data sets, services, series and applications and many more resources supporting ISO19115/19119 and the INSPIRE metadata specification (INSPIRE Metadata Implementing Rules: Technical Guidelines based on EN ISO 19115 and EN ISO 19119)
• GRASS GIS ISO/INSPIRE Metadata support developed within Google Summer of Code 2014

Data storage/management

• PosgGIS adds spatial capabilities to the PostgreSQL relational database. It extends PostgreSQL so it can store, query, and manipulate spatial data. In this Quickstart we will use ‘PostgreSQL’ when describing general database functions, and ‘PostGIS’ when describing the additional spatial functionality provided by PostGIS.
• Rasdaman: flexible, scalable spatio-temporal raster server, supporting OGC WMS, WCS, WCPS, WPS; OGC WCS Core Reference Implementation.
• SpatiaLite: ...

Data modeling

• INSPIRE Data Model Tools: developed by Politecnico di Milano to facilitate the browsing of INSPIRE Data Specifications and provide procedure to structure PostGIS pseudo-INSPIRE SQL structure

Data mapping/transformation

OSGeoLive tools

• deegree: deegree supports a internal DSL (a XML configuration file) to specify mappings from a database model into a GML application schema which allow on-the-fly transformation of data.
• Geokettle is an ETL tool and can be useful to transform an existing dataset to comply with the schemes defined by the INSPIRE Directive. note: currently set to be retired in Live 11
• In GDAL, the GMLAS driver is available which can read and write XML files of arbitrary structure, included those containing so-called Complex Features, provided that they are accompanied by one or several XML schemas that describe the structure of their content. While this driver is generic to any XML schema, the main target is to be able to read and write documents referencing directly or indirectly to the GML namespace.

Other

• HALE is a tool for defining and evaluating conceptual schema mappings. HALE allows domain experts to create logically and semantically consistent mappings and to transform geodata based on these mappings. Furthermore, a major focus is put on the documentation of the schema transformation process and its impacts, e.g. in the form of lineage information attached to the resultant transformed data . Within the context of INSPIRE, data transformations will be needed both to publish data in compliance with the INSPIRE schemes and to use the published (and downloaded) data in combination with other sources.
• inspire-foss.org INSPIRE FOSS: ETL-tooling for INSPIRE Data harmonization and harmonized web services (largely unmaintained)
• Java4INSPIRE: is a java library to handle INSPIRE data as java objects; it may be used to transform existing spatial datasets into INSPIRE compliant datasets
• Stetl: Python-framework for ETL. With Examples for INSPIRE data harmonization.

Network services

Discovery

• pycsw: OGC CSW server. Standalone or embeddable. Powers CSW in CKAN, GeoNode. OGC Reference Implementation
• Geonetwork
• deegree: Provides an implementation of a OGC CSW 2.0.2 APISO server. Supporting harvest operation and storage of MD records for centralized approach. The Quickstart of Degree for the OsGeo-Live uses an INSPIRE example.

View

• GeoServer is a tool for serving maps for other clients to draw. It allows to setup view and download services as required by the INSPIRE Directive.
• deegree: Provides an OGC compliant WMS 1.1.1 and 1.3.0 server (OGC reference implementation). Additional it has an implementation of the OGC WMTS 1.0 standard.
• MapServer is an Open Source server-based application that allows you to publish geographic map images and vector data through the internet using OGC standards such as WMS, WFS, and WCS.

Download

• GeoServer
• deegree: Provides an OGC compliant WFS 2.0 support the Simple conformance class and GML 3.2.1 (Both are OGC reference implementations!)
• MapServer
• 52°North Sensor Observation Service 4.x: Enhanced SOS implementation for serving observation data compliant with the INSPIRE requirements for Download Services

Validation services

• INSPIRE Geoportal Validator: developed by EC-JRC, it is used in the context of the INSPIRE Geoportal to perform validation of the metadata of resources discovered through the Member State Discovery Services.
• INSPIRE Validation & conformity testing: Workspace for EU INSPIRE MIG Validation & conformity testing sub-group on GitHub
• eENVplus Validation Service: developed by Epsilon Italia, in the frame of the eENVplus project, is an online tool for the validation of INSPIRE datasets. It is freely accessible and open source, built upon TEAM Engine and the OGC CITE GML 3.2 Conformance Test Suite. It provides Executable Test Suites (ETS) implementing the Abstract Test Suites (ATS) which are included in the Annex A of the INSPIRE Data Specifications.

Clients

• QGIS can be used to consume INSPIRE compliant view and download services. The QGIS plugin ‘GML Application Schema Toolbox’ makes use of the GMLAS driver for GDAL and aims to develop tools to manipulate complex features in a GIS desktop application. On the related GitHub page ‘Consumption and use of GML complex features like INSPIRE harmonised data (vector), GeoSciML within QGIS’, specific INSPIRE use cases are described and illustrated.
• geomajas can be used to support eGov workflows and create a controlled environment where processes can be executed based on available INSPIRE data.

Registry

• INSPIRE Re3gistry implemented by EC-JRC and deployed on the INSPIRE web site

GeoPortals

• GET SDI Portal developed by Geospatial Enabling Technologies Ltd. A ready to deploy, fully featured SDI Services client already used at regional government level INSPIRE Geoportals.

Other

• Are3na is A Reusable INSPIRE Reference Platform. This open community aims to support access to common reusable software and other components for spatial data in European e-government.
• INSPIRE in Practice is a collaborative platform with the aim of bringing together INSPIRE implementers, solution providers, and application developers. Among other content, it provides an inventory of useful tools supporting the INSPIRE implementation tasks. Those tools can range from desktop/server software, libraries, plug-ins, online services and many more technical products and solutions that help people to share INSPIRE data, metadata and services.

Actions to improve the existing tools

• It could be useful that OSGeoLive projects listed on this page include some INSPIRE example in their quickstart documentation to illustrate their usefulness in the specific perspective of INSPIRE.
• It would be beneficial having these tools in the INSPIRE in Practice platform tool section highlighting how those ones actually support INSPIRE, for example by adding the INSPIRE tasks they support (See example: https://inspire-reference.jrc.ec.europa.eu/tools/geoserver)