XML to Metadata

[MohanGovindaraj1]

Dear All,


How to convert XML files to North American 2003 ISO 19115 standard metadata files?


Regards,

Mohan G

[AletaVienneau]

It is exactly because of this problem that Desktop metadata system is designed the way it is. ArcGIS 10.x for Desktop is designed to create and manage metadata that is in the ArcGIS metadata format. All metadata is stored in the same internal format. You edit all metadata content with the same editor and the same user experience, except the specific set of content and validation rules you're working with are tailored to the metadata standard you are working towards as determined by your metadata style. With the FGDC CSDGM Metadata style, when you export metadata to a standard XML format, you get a CSDGM-formatted XML document. With the North American Profile of ISO 19115 2003 (NAP) metadata style, when you export metadata to a standard XML format, you get an NAP-formatted XML document. 

If your metadata XML file is in the ArcGIS metadata format, you can export it to the North American Profile (NAP) metadata style simply by choosing the NAP metadata style instead of the CSDGM metadata style in the Options dialog box. Then, use the Export button in the Description tab to transform your content to the NAP XML format.

[MohanGovindaraj1]

Thanks Aleta,

But In the Description tab, i am not getting the export option. Only import option is available.

Also one more thing i forgot to mention that the input XML metadata is not an arcgis metadata format file. I have attached a sample of the input XML file. Please have a look into the file and advise me how can i convert this to a NAP 19115 2003 standard metadata document file.

[AletaVienneau]

ArcGIS 10.x for Desktop is designed to create and manage metadata content that is in the ArcGIS metadata format.

You don't have an Export button because you are using the default metadata style; this style is designed to support sharing content with ArcGIS Online, and to support organizations who aren't interested in or required to comply with a metadata standard. If you must create standard-compliant metadata, change the metadata style to one that supports this capability, for example, the NAP style. This provides you with access to full ArcGIS metadata content and an Export button that converts ArcGIS metadata to the standard XML metadata format that is associated with the selected metadata style. Instructions are here in the online Help system: http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.2/003t/003t00000009000000.htm

[MohanGovindaraj1]

I appreciate your help!

I did have changed the metadata style to North America profile of ISO 19115 2003 (as exactly given in arccatalog options)

If you look into the attached XML file, you will understand the actual problem. When I select this XML in Arccatalog and click on the  Description tab , the only thing i can see is    "Metadata format:Unknown" and below this line actual xml file will be shown.
What i understand is that this metadata file does not contain any of arcgis standard metadata stylesheet (xsl).

[AletaVienneau]

The XML file is the XML file provided with DIMAP raster data. ArcGIS for Desktop does not provide tools for processing DIMAP-format XML files. This is not an internationally adopted geospatial metadata standard. As far as ArcGIS for Desktop is concerned, this is not geospatial metadata, and we offer no support for it in the Description tab. The stylesheet that Desktop uses to display metadata does not recognize the format of the XML file, and therefore it displays the raw XML. This behavior is documented in the Help system: http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.2/003t/003t00000029000000.htm

Desktop will not defer to displaying the XML file's content using the stylesheet that is internally specified in the XML file when the file's content is displayed. When XML files are displayed in the Description tab any stylesheet references specified within the XML are ignored. If someone wants to display ALL metadata for all items using a custom XSLT stylesheet, this is possible by creating a custom metadata style, which is documented in the ArcGIS Metadata Toolkit (available for download from the support site).

Most of the content that is provided in the DIMAP XML file will be incorporated into its associated raster dataset's metadata if you choose to automatically create metadata for it using ArcGIS for Desktop. If you then manually edit the raster dataset's metadata you could add the remaining content to it, if you like. For example, if you open the file you provided in a browser, you can copy/paste the text that isn't automatically included in the raster dataset's metadata into the appropriate metadata elements. Then you would be able to create a NAP-compliant XML file from the raster dataset's ArcGIS metadata document.

As-is, the DIMAP-format XML file does not provide sufficient information to produce a valid NAP-compliant metadata document. If you truly want to create NAP-compliant metadata you will have to add content to what you already have. You can do this using the metadata editor that is available in the Description tab.

[MohanGovindaraj1]

Thanks Aleta,

This is what I achieved till now,

I  have changed the metadata style to North American profile of ISO 19115 2003 in the Arc catalog. I took one raster file then i opened it in the description tab and started editing the metadata manually wherever i could with the sample.xml. Then I saved the file. Now everything looks ok.
But when I export the metadata file back to XML file , the metadata standard shows as ISO 19139 instead of NAP ISO 19115 since there is no translator for NAP ISO 19115 standard and by default it takes 'ESRI_ISO2ISO19139'. Is this ok? or Is there any way to get the metadata standard as NAP ISO 19115 in the final XML file?

Also I have attached the the XML file of manually edited for the NAP ISO 19115 standard. Please have a look and advise me.