ArcIMS Metadata Services can be used to create a central, online metadata repository that allows you to easily publish and browse metadata over the Internet. You can author your metadata through the ArcGIS ArcCatalog application using industry-standard and user-definable style templates, then publish your metadata by simply dragging and dropping it into the ArcIMS Metadata Server. Metadata is optimized for rapid and efficient searches using a variety of clients including lightweight browser-based clients and ArcGIS Desktop.

The ArcIMS Metadata Explorer, a JavaServer Pages (JSP) application, can be used to build a customized, browser-based means of searching for metadata. Searching for metadata is quick and efficient because users can perform searches based on any combination of geographic extent, content type, data format, or keyword.

ArcIMS Metadata Services are part of the technology used to build GIS portals. Learn more about how you can implement a GIS portal.