Abstract:
The INSPIRE geoportal provide the means to search for spatial data sets and spatial data services, and subject to access restrictions, view and download spatial data sets from the EU Member States within the framework of the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) Directive. INSPIRE aims at making available relevant, harmonised and quality geographic information
... to support formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and activities which have a direct or indirect impact on the environment.
This version is a prototype INSPIRE geoportal and allows for discovery and viewing of spatial data sets and services. It's aim is to identify issues related to its implementation and accessing distributed INSPIRE services, to help towards the development of the operational geoportal.
The prototype INSPIRE geoportal currently accesses a limited number of discovery and view services and therefore only a few metadata for spatial data sets and services may be found and viewed. These will increase as more services become available from the EU Member States.
To ensure that the INSPIRE geoportal has a full functional access to the Discovery and View services testing is done in close cooperation with the Member States.
This allows performing any necessary modifications or adjustments to improve interoperability and the overall architecture performance and in general facilitate the way towards the full operating capability.
[Summary provided by INSPIRE.] 
