Below are a list of common error and problems in the Scholars GeoPortal that are the result of problems in the metadata. For a detailed list of metadata fields used in SP's instance of NAP, and how to complete them, see the guide to NAP metadata fields on Spotdocs. A general best practices documents is also available on Spotdocs.
The metadata record can't be located in the GeoPortal, in staging or production
Possible solutions:
The record may not have been pushed to the correct location. In the GISEditor, go to the Record Status section of the metadata, and confirm that Dev Test is selected for staging, or Production for production. An aggregated record should have aggregated selected.
The record may be aggregated. Remember: if searching for an aggregated record, only the series record that it has been grouped under will show up in search results.
The metadata record can be located in the GeoPortal, but when the details button is selected the error message "Sorry, an error occurred" appears in place of the metadata
Possible Solutions:
- There may be an open html tag in the Abstract section of the metadata. For example: <p>This data set contains the geographic location of the city boundary of the City of London, Ontario.<p> (should be </p>).
Closing all html tags, saving the record, and refreshing in the GeoPortal will solve this issue. - If the record is aggregated (under a series record), the link to the metadata record in the Distribution Info > Metadata Link section of the series record may be incorrect.
- Check the name of the dataset record in the Metadata Record Information > File URI section of that record, and be sure that this matches the information in the Distribution Info section of the series record.
Note: this sectionis case sensitive!
- Check the name of the dataset record in the Metadata Record Information > File URI section of that record, and be sure that this matches the information in the Distribution Info section of the series record.
When viewing a record in the GeoPortal, multiple details buttons appear. Selecting details generated additional buttons
Possible Solutions:
The record is not aggregated, but the Distribution Info > Metadata Link section of the metadata has been filled in. As a result, the record is linking back to itself in a continuous loop. This section should be left blank, unless you are filling in the distribution information for a series-level record that is linking to multiple datasets. Removing it will solve the issue in this case.
When trying to download a product, it appears to download normally. However, when trying to open the downloaded file, the request times out
Possible Solutions:
There is a typo in either:
The SP Custom > Data Holdings section of the metadata; or
The filename in the zips folder in \\142.1.121.200\files$
Verify that both are correct, and change as required
The grey extent box that appears in the GeoPortal when you hover over a record in the search results does not cover the full extent of the data
Possible Solutions:
This grey box is populated by the extent fields in the Identification Info section of the metadata. Oftentimes this information is pulled directly from the services themselves. As a result, it will be exactly on the location of the furthest data in the service, which can make the box seem too small at higher zoom levels. Verify the extent information that has been entered into Identification Info > Extents. This should match exactly the extents of the data product being described. If this doesn't resolve the issue, to correct this either:
- Select an new extent by drawing it in the GeoPortal
Add the service into the GeoPortal
From the search field dropdown, select “Place or Area”
Click the yellow box that appears to the left of the dropdown “Click and Draw” an extent
Draw your extent
Use the numbers that appear in the search field to populate the extent fields in the following order: West; South; East; North.
OR
Adjust each extent field slightly according to the following guidelines (can be increased or decreased more if needed):
West Bound Longitude: increase by 0.5
East Bound Longitude: decreased by 0.5
South Bound Latitude: decrease by 0.5
North Bound Latitude: increase by 0.5