pygeometa is a Python package to generate metadata for geospatial datasets.

• Overview
• Features
• Quickstart
• Installation
  • Requirements
  • Dependencies
  • Installing the Package
• Running
  • From the command line
  • Using the API from Python
• Development
  • Setting up a Development Environment
  • Adding Another Metadata Schema to the Core
  • Running Tests
  • Code Conventions
  • Bugs and Issues
• History
• Contact

pygeometa is a Python package to generate metadata for geospatial datasets. Metadata content is managed by pygeometa in simple Metadata Control Files (MCF) which consist of 'parameter = value' pairs. pygeometa generates metadata records from MCF files based on the schema specified by the user, such as ISO-19139. pygeometa supports nesting MCF files, which reduces duplication of metadata content common to multiple records and ease maintenance.

• simple configuration: inspired by Python's ConfigParser
• extensible: template architecture allows for easy addition of new metadata formats
• flexible: use as a command-line tool or integrate as a library

Workflow to generate metadata XML:

1. Install pygeometa
2. Create a 'metadata control file' .mcf file that contains metadata information
3. Modify the sample.mcf example
4. pygeometa supports nesting MCF files together, allowing providing a single MCF file for common metadata parameters (e.g. common contact information)
5. Refer to the Metadata Control File Reference documentation
6. Run pygeometa for the .mcf file with a specified target metadata schema

pygeometa is best installed and used within a Python virtualenv.

• Python 2.7 and above. Works with Python 3
• Python virtualenv package

Dependencies are listed in requirements.txt. Dependencies are automatically installed during pygeometa's installation.

virtualenv my-env
cd my-env
. bin/activate
git clone https://github.com/geopython/pygeometa.git
cd pygeometa
pip install -r requirements.txt
python setup.py build
python setup.py install

generate_metadata.py --mcf=path/to/file.mcf --schema=iso19139  # to stdout
generate_metadata.py --mcf=path/to/file.mcf --schema=iso19139 --output some_file.xml  # to file
# to use your own defined schema:
generate_metadata.py --mcf=path/to/file.mcf --schema_local=/path/to/my-schema --output some_file.xml  # to file

Schemas supported by pygeometa:

• iso19139, reference
• iso19139-hnap, reference
• Local schema, specified with --schema_local=/path/to/my-schema

from pygeometa import render_template
# default schema
xml_string = render_template('/path/to/file.mcf', schema='iso19139')
# user-defined schema
xml_string = render_template('/path/to/file.mcf', schema_local='/path/to/new-schema')
with open('output.xml', 'w') as ff:
    ff.write(xml_string)

Same as installing a package. Use a virtualenv. Also install developer requirements:

pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

List of supported metadata schemas in pygeometa/templates/

To add support to new metadata schemas:

cp -r pygeometa/templates/iso19139 pygeometa/templates/new-schema

Then modify *.j2 files in the new pygeometa/templates/new-schema directory to comply to new metadata schema.

# via distutils
python setup.py test
# manually
cd tests
python run_tests.py

• PEP8

All bugs, enhancements and issues are managed on GitHub.

pygeometa originated within an internal project called pygdm, which provided generic geospatial data management functions. pygdm (now at end of life) was used for generating MSC/CMC geospatial metadata. pygeometa was pulled out of pygdm to focus on the core requirement of generating geospatial metadata within a real-time environment.

In 2015 pygeometa was made publically available in support of the Treasury Board Policy on Acceptable Network and Device Use.

• Tom Kralidis
• Alexandre Leroux