One Stop Geospatial Search Engine


Note: In this context, URLs refer to links to documents, examples, scripts, downloadable geospatial data, geospatial services, tools, templates, web applications, mobile apps, etc., which are available in the public domain (i.e., accessible online).

The Need for a Central Geospatial Search Engine

The geospatial world is shifting from just data to services, driven by the use of generic or customized applications across web, mobile, and desktop platforms.

Users often look for URLs that can help them solve problems related to specific locations. However, the biggest challenge is finding the right public URLs at the right time. Search engines return a mix of results from both GIS and non-GIS domains based on keywords, making it hard to locate relevant geospatial content.

Even if a user visits a specific portal, for example, one for a proprietary software, it will mostly offer URLs related to that product only. This forces users to check multiple sites or rely entirely on search engines to find the correct and useful geospatial URLs.

The Proposed Solution

To solve this issue, we need a "One-Stop Geospatial Search Engine" that searches through registered public URLs from various organizations. The geospatial community already understands the Author–Publish–Discover model well, and this new engine will follow the same approach.

Key Features and Process

1. URL Registration Interface

Authorized users/organizations can register their URLs by providing:

  • Title

  • Description

  • Thumbnail image

  • Keywords

  • Technology used

  • Language 

  • Public URL

  • Area covered (can also be marked on a map)

  • Shared by (organization/user name)

  • Contact information (email, phone, etc.)

2. Search Options

Users can search using:

  • Keywords

  • A marked location on the map

  • Their current location

  • Any combination of the above

3. Result Display (Discovery)

The results will show:

  • Title, description, URL, and all registered details

  • Option to “Favorite” records locally

  • Option to “Share” a single record or the entire result list

4. Admin Portal

The admin side will handle:

  • Approval or rejection of users and organizations

  • Approval or rejection of submitted URLs

  • Reports, dashboards, and monitoring tools

Call to Action

All geospatial organizations government, private, semi-government, academic, and research institutions should take the responsibility to register their public URLs.

We urge the World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) to lead this initiative. WGIC is uniquely positioned to bring together geospatial organizations, software providers, data creators, and app developers, ensuring this solution reaches and benefits the end-users.

This initiative can begin with a few leading organizations and will naturally grow as others join in.
Conceptual logo designed by Anant Sindal


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