Cataloging Your Service

20JUNE 2012 Congratulations! You have finished your web service or web application. We are very happy for you, as we know the effort it takes to create such things. High Five!

Now is the time to go through a check list to make sure your services and applications are ready for the "rest" of the world.

• Documentation
• Technical Users Review
• Catalog

For more information on cataloging your services, please contact Erik Endrulat at the Oregon Geospatial Enterprise Office (GEO). His phone is (503)378-2781.

Documentation - UPDATED 6/20/2012

Documentation is a very important step in ensuring all your hard effort does not go to waste. If no one can maintain your web application (including you!), then it will fall to the wayside. Likewise, if your web services are not documented, others cannot use the services or applications with reliability.

1. Web Services

Unfortunately, documenting a web service is not a one stop effort. There are several places you need to contribute to your documentation.

The good news is, it's not terribly difficult and Erik Endrulat, GIS Developer for the Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS), wrote instructions for how to document a web service.

Please follow these Instructions.

There are two other helpful documents: Map Service Checklist Map Service Checklist (spreadsheet) If you are a member of govespace.oregon.gov, these documents are available at Standards for Framework Services.

2. Web Applications

This can be a little tricker to do, but none the less essential. Here are some suggestions:

Add a documentation block at the top of your code to describe what the program does, when it was written, any modifications, etc. Document your code within your code. Ensure your variables make sense. Use version control software if you can. This will allow you to keep a copy of all the test code you don't want to get rid of vs. the final code. Use appropriate indentation.

Technical User Review

It is our user group's mission to share and assist. If you have completed your application, ask the group to review your application and what specifically you may want us to review. Between all of us, we have various platforms and internet connection speed and access. We can help identify issues that may come up and may be able to help with solutions. If you'd rather have technical review more one-on-one, the coordinator can help you find a good match.

Catalog

There are two primary areas to calalog your web services and web applications. These are:

ArcGIS Online Direct link Oregon Spatial Data Library Direct link

Secondary places to announce your web services and web applications:

Oregon ArcGIS Server and API User Group E-mail: webmaster GIS Program Leaders E-mail: gpl_list -at- listsmart.osl.state.or.us Or find a GPL who can e-mail for you GPL website Any specialty websites for your subject of interest

1. ArcGIS Online - Groups

"Rregister" your web services and applications in the ArcGIS Online Groups. You can join a group or groups that are most appropriate and add your information about your service or application. You can control who and how much anyone can see or share.

Search for "Oregon" to find the list of groups for Oregon. More specifically, search for: 'Oregon GIS Community Maps, Services, and Applications' By registering your map service or application into this group, you will automatically be added to the Galleries.

More instructions.

2. Oregon Spatial Data Library

The Oregon Spatial Data Libary provides the one-stop-shop for finding GIS data, either as downloadable data or as map services. The success of this geoportal depends on the quality resources it hosts. A resource must be published to the geoportal and approved before it can be discovered through the geoportal search. There are several ways to publish a resource.

Publishing privileges are only available to users who are registered in the geoportal organization's LDAP. To become a publisher, first create a regular registered user account, and then send a message requesting to be made a publisher to the geoportal administrator (you can do this through the geoportal's Feedback link). Once the geoportal administrator has worked with his/her security administrator to grant your login Publisher status, you will be able to login to the geoportal as a Publisher. Your options are:

Register a resource on the network Upload or validate metadata file from the local disk Use dedicated editor to create metadata manually Publish through the Geoportal Publish Client Publish using the CSW INSERT transaction Publish through the REST API

Please refer to the help link on the OSDL website for more current and detailed instructions. If you have questions about this, contact the web master on this website or contact Erik Endrulat at GEO.

Other Announcements

Let others know of your services and applications. Contact the webmaster and it will be highlighted here. Let the GPL know of your work as well.