Product Overview

Toolkit for Spatial Data Infrastructure Portals

The GIS Portal Toolkit was developed by ESRI to support implementation of one-stop Web sites for the discovery, transmission, and use of geographic data and mapping services maintained anywhere on the Internet. Each GIS portal—whether implemented for a specific geographic area, topic of interest, or broader objective—allows its users to

• Search, obtain, and use geographic data and mapping services cataloged by the portal.
• Register to share their own geographic data and mapping services with others using the portal.

A GIS portal is a single point of access to spatial information, regardless of the location, format, or structure of the data source. A successful portal connects desktop users with disparate data holdings and applications.

Why Use a GIS Portal?

A GIS portal supports

• Collaboration—A GIS portal allows users to publish, share, and disseminate data and GIS Web services across the enterprise.
• Searching—A GIS portal allows a user to discover GIS data and Web services for a geographic area in the desired context, whether the search is defined spatially or thematically. Metadata stored in the portal catalog contains the knowledge on how to connect and utilize distributed geospatial databases and applications.
• Categorization—A portal catalogs GIS data and Web services for delivery to the user within the context needed.
• Interoperability—GIS portal technology is based on GIS standards and IT interoperability.

Who Will Use GIS Portals?

GIS portals can be used

• Within government
• Between citizens and government
• Between businesses and government
• Among businesses