Frequently Asked Questions

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What is a WMC file?

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Context (WMC) is an Implementation Specification that describes how to save a map view composed of many different layers from different Web map servers. Authenticated users in the portal have the ability to save maps they have been working with in the MapViewer as a WMC file on their local computer for reuse. The context of the map view is encoded and saved so that maps created by users in the MapViewer can be automatically reconstructed and augmented by the authoring user or other users in the future.

What data can I search for and display?

You can search for data of any resource type. What you can do with a found resource depends on its type. For example, a WMS service may be added to ArcMap, but a zip file containing spatial data will have to be downloaded and extracted before it can be used in ArcMap.

What catalog services can I connect to?

Using the CSW Client for ArcGIS Desktop and the CSW Client for ArcGIS Explorer, you can connect to catalog services that support the OGC CORE and ebRIM Application Profiles of the OGC CSW 2.0.1 specification.

How do I expose my ArcIMS Metadata Services as a CS-W?

To expose your ArcIMS Metadata Services as a CS-W, you need to have installed and configured the ArcIMS CS-W connector. The CS-W connector is an optional component of an ArcIMS install. Please refer to the ArcIMS installation guide section "Installing ArcIMS Metadata Options" for instructions on installing and configuring the ArcIMS CS-W connector.

What if I know a catalog service that implements a different version or a different Application Profile of the OGC CS-W specification?

The CSW Clients for ArcGIS extension has been designed to allow for adding support for other versions or Application Profile of the OGC CS-W specification. If you have a catalog service that is not yet supported in the CSW Client extension, please let us know by sending an e-mail with the service's GetCapabilities URL to portal@esri.com.

How will I know where to get updates to the CSW Clients for ArcGIS extension?

Updates to the CSW Clients for ArcGIS extension will be made available through the GIS Portal Toolkit pages on the ESRI Technical Support Web site.

If I have installed both the ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Explorer components of the CSW Clients, do I have to configure my catalog services twice?

No. If you have both components of the CSW Clients installed, they will share the catalog services you have configured.