A metadata initiative for global information discovery

The Global Information Locator Service (GILS) encompasses a global vision f ramed by the fundamental values of open societies. Societal values such as a free flow of information impose certain requirements on the society's inf ormation infrastructure. These requirements in turn shape the various laws, policies, standards. and technologies that determine the infrastructure de sign. A particular focus of GILS is the requirement to provide the means fo r people to discover sources of data and information. Information discovery in the GILS vision is designed to be decentralized yet coherent, and globa lly comprehensive yet useful for detailed data. This article introduces bas ic concepts and design issues, with emphasis on the techniques by which GIL S supports interoperability. It explains the practical implications of GILS for the common roles of organizations involved in handling information, fr om content provider through system engineer and intermediary to searcher. T he article provides examples of GILS initiatives in various types of commun ities: bibliographic, geographic., environmental, and government. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.