Massive information and world

c

overed network bring out the quickly coming of Digital Earth（DE）

which makes the geospatial information management

sharing and valid using on Internet more urgent than ever.In order to resolve these problems

the authors researched and discussed the definitions

functions and contents of geospatial metadata

and its implementation of management system based on Web and its application integrated with WebGIS in DE in this paper while allowing for the frontier of international geospatial metadata standard.Metadata is the "data about data"

it is used to describe the contents

quality

presentation

spatial references and management methods of geospatial data and its other properties.Moreover

the geospatial metadata content standard draft has been proposed here

consisting of 8 standard components and 4 referenced components that can only be used with reference to standard components and can not be used independently.Also by making use of the latest Internet technology and integrating with WebGIS

three solutions

namely CGI

the third vendor application and Z39.50

for geospatial metadata network management system（GeoMNMS）have been proposed here.The authors adopted the Z39.50 solution and implemented the GeoMNMS which is based on the Internet and can be used in DE construction.The system has many functions such as User Authorization

Metadata Catalog

Metadata Inpurting

Metadata Query

Metadata Modifying

Geospatial Data/Information Publishing and Sharing on Internet etc.

all of them can be operated on

l

ine.And some of demonstrations of various functions of the system have been presented finally.In the era of global informationization and Digital Earth

the GeoMNMS provides the prototype of managing and using geospatial metadata in DE construction

and it will promote the progress of Chinese standardization and propel the DE construction.