Alternate Ways to Access NTGO Geospatial Data

In addition to our main web-based applications, NT GoMap, NT GoData, and Gateway, NTGO offers the following alternative services for accessing NWT geoscience data. These services comply with standards established by the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), an Internet/web infrastructure comprised of the developments of the federal, provincial, territorial and private sector partners who are creating the technology, standards, access systems and protocols necessary to harmonize all of Canada's geospatial databases, and make them available on the Internet.

Web Map Service (WMS):

WMS is an Internet-based service that allows clients to display geographic maps and/or images within a WMS-enabled viewer. WMS spatial data can reside on one or more remote WMS servers. Only NTGO's distributable layers are available via WMS.

A WMS Viewer is either a standalone application or a web-based interface that allows a user to combine layers originating from different map servers. That means NTGO data layers can be viewed through a WMS client in combination with layers from other servers. Popular free WMS viewers include Google Earth, uDig, Quantum GIS, and GRASS. Popular commercial WMS viewers include ArcGIS, Intergraph, and Mapinfo.

To access NTGO WMS data, you will need to enter a WMS GetCapabilities URL into your WMS client. Right click on this link and copy the URL to the clipboard.

• for Microsoft Internet Explorer - 'Copy Shortcut'
• for Firefox - 'Copy Link Location'
  

Then paste the URL into your WMS client. The URL is not design to work in a standard webbrowser, only a WMS client.

NTGO Regional Geology WMS layers with Atlas of Canada WMS layers in ArcGIS Desktop

NTGO Slave Geology WMS layers with transparency in Google Earth

NTGO Regional Geology WMS layers with Atlas of Canada WMS layers in uDig

Z39.50:

Z39.50 is a national and international (ISO 23950) standard defining a protocol for computer-to-computer information retrieval. Z39.50 makes it possible for a user in one system to search and retrieve information from other computer systems (that have also implemented Z39.50) without knowing the search syntax that is used by those other systems. (from US Library of Congress). See also Z39.50.

NTGO's NORMIN Reference database is searchable via any Z39.50 supported web portal - the most popular are GeoConnections Discovery Portal and Canadian Geoscience Knowledge Network (CGKN). Query results are returned as FGDC-compliant XML documents.

Four References databases can be queried via Z39.50. They are:

• NTGO Publications
• NWT Mineral Exploration Reports
• NWT Miscellaneous Geology References
• NWT Petroleum Industry Reports

Click here to search all four References databases via the GeoConnections Discovery Portal.

Click here to search all four References databases via the CGKN Data Catalogue.