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Geospatial Metadata Tools


How do I determine the best metadata tool?

There are a variety of free and commercial software tools available to support metadata development. These tools offer a range of features and capabilities. When evaluating the right tool consider the following:

  • Does your GIS software provide an internal data/metadata management utility that supports the auto-capture of data set properties (extent, projection, attribute labels, etc.)?
  • Do you need a tool that supports one or more CSDGM Profiles or Extensions?
  • Do you need to document data resource beyond those managed within your GIS?
  • Do you need a tool that is easily distributed to partners?
  • What features are most important to you?
    • auto-capture of information
    • bundling of metadata with data
    • creation and use of templates
    • easy to use interface
    • robust help systems and tutorials

The FGDC does not promote the use of any specific metadata tool. It does however, test compliance to the CSDGM using the Metadata Parser (mp) utility developed by Peter Schweitzer of the USGS Geology Discipline.

Metadata Tools for Geospatial Data is an independent metadata software evaluation site maintained by Hugh Phillips and hosted by the Wisconsin Land Information Clearinghouse (WiscLINC).

ISO Metadata Editor Review Feature information collected from developers and users about available ISO 19115 Metadata Editors New Item Image

What metadata creation and editing tools are available?


The following is not an exhaustive listing and does not imply FGDC endorsement:

Freeware/Shareware tools:

  • tkme - Windows-based tool developed and actively maintained by Peter Schweitzer of the USGS Geology Discipline. Supports the biological, shoreline, and remote sensing profiles/extensions.
  • xtme - Unix-based version of tkme.
  • MetaScribe - Online utility for creating a custom metadata entry form (template) for the collection of highly similar metadata from individual or multiple participants. Metadata conformance is checked upon submittal using mp. Developed and maintained by the NOAA Coastal Services Center.
  • MERMAid - Online utility for creating, editing, validating, storing and exporting metadata records via the NOAA Coastal Data Development Center. Provides rigorous validation, managed workflow with customized permissions, change tracking, and storage of files associated with the metadata. MERMAid supports the FGDC standard, the biological and shoreline profiles and the remote sensing extension, and provides the ablilty for metadata conversion among these standards. An export option includes the conversion of FGDC metadata to MARC-XML. MERMAid also supports the Ecological Metadata Language.
  • Metavist 2005 - Stand-along metadata creation and editing tool developed by the USDA Forest Service North Central Research Station. Metavist 2005 creates metadata compliant with the CSDGM (FGDC) 1998 metadata standard and the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) 1999 Biological Data Profile for the FGDC standard. The software runs under the Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP operating systems, and requires the presence of Microsoft's .Net Framework version 1.1. The metadata are output in XML format.
  • EPA Metadata Editor - The EPA Metadata Editor (EME) is a simple geospatial metadata editor that allows users to create and edit records that meet the EPA Geospatial Metadata Technical Specification and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM) requirements. EME is an extension to ESRI's ArcCatalog.

Commercial tools:

  • ArcCatalog - ESRI’s ArcGIS internal data management tool that includes metadata creation and editing functions, data search and discovery functions, auto-capture of data properties from ESRI data, auto-update to metadata when data is edited (synchronization), bundling of metadata with data upon export, and the ability to create metadata in CSDGM and ISO (not US Profile) formats.
  • GeoMedia Catalog - Intergraph’s GeoMedia (v6.0) geospatial metadata management functions that include metadata creation and editing functions, data search and discovery functions, auto-capture of data properties from most vector and raster data types, creation of custom templates, and the creation of contact, citation, distribution methods and keyword libraries that support re-use of information. Supports the FGDC biological profile and export/publication of ISO-19139PDTS XML metadata files.
  • SMMS (stand-alone) - Stand-alone desk-top version of SMMS GeoMedia that does not require the installation of Intergraph GeoMedia software.
  • MapInfo Manager - Pitney Bowes’ metadata management tool enables organizations to build, maintain and manage centralized catalogs of spatial data enabling easy search, access and utilization of data – enterprise wide. Open standards based MapInfo Manager is suitable for a wide variety of potential users.

What metadata tools are available to assess compliance to the CSDGM?


Freeware/Shareware tools:

The following metadata validation tools are used to check the compliance of a metadata record to the CSDGM. The tools presented are shareware products developed and actively maintained by Peter Schweitzer of the USGS Geology Discipline.

  • Metadata Parser (mp) - Available as a Windows, Unix, and Linux utility that checks for conformance to CSDGM specified:
    • conditionality (are all mandatory elements are populated?)
    • data formats 
    • element domains.
  • Chew-N-Spit (cns) - A metadata pre-parser designed to convert poorly formatted metadata into a record that can be parsed by mp or read by tkme/xtme. The utility looks for text that resembles CSDGM element names, inserts the underscores required to identify element names, e.g. Identification_Information, and reformats the text into the hierarchical structure specified by the CSDGM. The pre-parser is typically applied to metadata produced using a text editor or word processing software. Metadata produced by most metadata creation and editing software does not require use of CNS.
  • Geospatial Metadata Validation Service - An online version of mp that will review and report errors for metadata uploaded in indented text, XML, and SGML formats.
  • MP Batch - A downloadable free utility developed by Intergraph that allows users to pre-configure parameters which control the operation of "cns" and "mp," and to store them in one or more initialization (*.INI) files, so they can be utilized for subsequent use by the MP Batch Processor. Users can then select a saved INI file and use its stored parameters in processing batches of input files through "cns" and "mp."

What other metadata software and utilities are available?

The following software and utilities are available from the USGS Geology Discipline site maintained by Peter Schweitzer, Formal Metadata: Information and Software.

  • err2html - interprets the mp error reports into more easily understood language.
  • DBFmeta - converts dbf files to an CSDGM Entity and Attribute Detailed_Description.
  • mq - provides an interface to apply advanced editing operations to large, diverse collections of metadata.


Additional metadata software and utilities are described at the
Last Updated: Dec 21, 2011 10:24 AM