Metacat

Version: 1.7.0 Release

Release Notes for 1.7.0:

------------------------

This release features only a few minor changes to the core Metacat engine. 

The major focus of this release is the addition of the spatial functionality.

The geographic coverage of metadata documents can now be cached in a GIS-

accessible format and published via web mapping services and an online

interactive map. 

New Features:

* Three new open source libraries have been integrated with Metacat:

  - Geoserver:  A standards-compliant web map server to publish

                geographic data to the web.

                (http://docs.codehaus.org/display/GEOS/Home)

  - GeoTools:   A java-based GIS toolkit to programatically

                manipulate spatial datasets.

                (http://geotools.codehaus.org/)

  - Mapbuilder: A javascript application to provide an interactive

                web map front-end to Geoserver.

                (http://docs.codehaus.org/display/MAP/Home)

* Spatial Caching/Indexing mechanism; documents with geographic

  coverages will be added to the spatial cache.

* Spatial Query action in metacat servlet. 

* Interactive Web map to visualize and query the spatial 

  distribution of metadata documents.

* Preliminary python client library to interface with metacat.

* Preliminary process in place for web based configuration of metacat.

Compatibility Notices:

* Tomcat 3 and 4 are no longer tested or supported. Users are 

  highly encouraged to upgrade to Tomcat 5.5

Bug Fixes:

* Metacat administrators are able to modify and delete documents 

  created by other users.