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PgMetadata#

Short introduction#

It's a QGIS plugin to store some metadata for PostgreSQL layers inside a PostgreSQL database 🐘.

Metadata for a PostgreSQL table includes :

  • a title
  • an abstract
  • keywords
  • categories and themes
  • spatial properties such as extent, feature count, projection, scales
  • 0 or many contacts with a role
  • 0 or many links
  • …

Some key features for final users :

  • a locator to easy search and add layers
  • a dock to display metadata
  • Export a single sheet to PDF, HTML DCAT
  • Export the full catalog

Some features for the GIS administrator :

  • A QGIS project designed to manage the metadata.
  • Some views are included to detect some orphaned tables.
  • Customization of the HTML template

To help, there are some videos tutorials.

Overview of PgMetadata

Description#

PgMetadata is made for people using QGIS as their main GIS application, and PostgreSQL 🐘 as their main vector data storage.

The metadata of layers are stored inside your PostgreSQL database, in a dedicated schema. Classical fields are supported, such as the title, description, categories, themes, links, and the spatial properties of your data: extent, projection, etc.

PgMetadata is not designed as a catalog application which lets you search among datasets and then download the data. It is designed to ease the use of the metadata inside QGIS, allowing to search for a data and open the corresponding layer, or to view the metadata of the already loaded PostgreSQL layers.

By storing the metadata of the vector tables inside the database:

  • QGIS can read the metadata easily by using the layer PostgreSQL connection: a dock shows the metadata for the active layer when the plugin detects metadata exists for this QGIS layer.
  • QGIS can run SQL queries: you can use the QGIS locator search bar to search for a layer, and load it easily in your project.

The administrator in charge of editing the metadata will also benefit from the PostgreSQL storage:

  • PostgreSQL/PostGIS functions are used to automatically update some fields based on the table data (the layer extent, geometry type, feature count, projection, etc.).
  • The metadata is saved with your data anytime you backup the database.
  • You do not need to share XML files across the network or install a new catalog application to manage your metadata and allow the users to get it. Only PostgreSQL is needed.

The plugin contains some processing algorithms to help the administrator. For example:

  • a script helps to create or update the needed pgmetadata PostgreSQL schema and tables in your database.
  • a algorithm creates a QGIS project suitable for the metadata editing. This project uses the power of QGIS to create a rich user interface allowing to edit your metadata easily (forms, relations). Why use another interface when QGIS rocks ?

More PgMetadata features: