OGC Catalog Services: a key element for the development of Spatial Data Infrastructures

One of the essential components for the construction of a geographic spatial data infrastructure at a regional, national or global level is the geographic information catalog server. But, for the catalog to be a useful component, it must enable access to geographic information metadata independently of the nature of search client applications, in other words, client applications do not need to be developed by the same company or same technology that implemented the server. In this sense, the contribution of the OpenGIS Consortium, an organization which promotes the standardization mechanisms for catalog services, is to provide the tool that makes possible this enterprise and technological independence. The objective of this paper is to review current approaches, provide some inside on the software implementation of catalogs, and show the applicability of these catalogs in real world scenarios.