1. Introduction

GeoCat Bridge for ArcMap is an Esri® ArcGIS Desktop extension that enables you to publish your metadata in a spatial catalogue (CSW) like GeoNetwork, and your map as OGC data services (WMS/WMTS/WFS/WCS) in GeoServer or MapServer. Bridge also offers the option to export metadata, symbology (SLD or MapFile), context (OWS-context) and/or data to your local computer as files or as a GeoPackage.

The extension has been developed by GeoCat BV. Bridge is not an Esri® product. GeoCat focuses on the development, customization and support of cutting-edge geospatial software, especially geospatial catalog software on both server and desktop. GeoCat provides all-in-one solutions for the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) that offer a geospatial catalog, map server and map client. The solutions are based on established Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) projects, open standard protocols and will be customized to the needs of different clients.

The founder of GeoCat worked for many years with the United Nations where he founded the GeoNetwork Opensource project. Today GeoNetwork Opensource can be considered the leading open source geospatial catalog application with numerous (inter)national geo-portal implementations.

Licensing

GeoCat Bridge for ArcMap is available as a standalone product (annual subscription) or provided for free as part of a GeoCat Live or a GeoNetwork/GeoServer Enterprise subscription (bundled).

Academic License

GeoCat Bridge is also available under an academic license. An academic license has all the features of a regular license, but against lower costs and always valid for one year only. Contact GeoCat sales (sales@geocat.net) for more information.

Features

As of GeoCat Bridge v3.2, all license types come with the following features:

  • One-click configuration wizard

  • Shapefile support

  • Personal GeoDatabase support (.mdb)

  • (Geo)TIFF imagery

  • Basic metadata properties

  • Metadata contacts management

  • Data license management

  • Local publishing

  • Publish to GeoServer and MapServer

  • Publish to multiple servers in one go

  • Profile support (INSPIRE, Dutch profile)

  • Publishing map data to a PostGIS server

  • Reference datastores on GeoServer (ArcSDE, Oracle Spatial, PostGIS)

  • MapServer MapCache Support

  • Bridge Commandline Interface (CLI)

License Activation

GeoCat Bridge can be activated using a key code or a license (.lic) file. Registered customers can obtain either one from the GeoCat customer portal. For more information, please see the configuration wizard.

Note

Bridge v3.2 comes with a new licensing mechanism, which replaces the Flexera (FlexNet) licenser. This has the following implications:

  • Citrix or RDP users should have no issues activating their license.

  • The floating (concurrent) license option is no longer available. There are no plans to re-implement this option in Bridge for ArcMap. Depending on your situation, you will have to use the key or file-based license option instead.

  • The Flexera license key is no longer valid in Bridge v3.2 and should be replaced by a new key starting with geocatbridge-, followed by 32 hexadecimal characters. You can obtain a new key from the GeoCat customer portal.

  • If you use the license file option and your domain or machine name changes, you will have to request a new license file.

Please contact us for more information on GeoCat Bridge licensing, or if you are experiencing any difficulties activating your software (info@geocat.net).