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Set available WCS service properties

This topic explains the properties available when using a system-generated capabilities file for WCS services. See Use external capabilities files with WCS services to learn more about defining WCS metadata by using an external capabilities file.

Access WCS service properties

For instructions on how to access the properties for WCS services, see Configure WCS service in Manager.

WCS service properties

The following table lists the properties available for WCS services and a description of each:

PropertyDescription

DefaultVersion

The default WCS version that a client uses to access the service. For example: 2.0.1.

Name

The name of the map, image, or geodata service that was used to create the WCS service. This property is automatically populated by ArcGIS Server and should not be modified.

Title

A readable title to briefly identify the WCS service, for example:

Land cover change in Marion County, 1970 to 2010.

Abstract

A narrative description which provides additional information about the WCS service, for example:

WCS service maintained by Acme Corporation. Contact: webmaster@wmt.acme.com. Imagery showing land cover change in Marion County from 1970 to 2010.

Keywords

A list of keywords or keyword phrases describing the WCS service, which aid in catalog searching, for example:

land cover, change, Marion County, imagery

Fees

Text describing the fees imposed when accessing the WCS service, for example:

none

Access constraints

Text describing the restrictions and legal prerequisites for accessing and using the WCS service, for example:

For internal use only. Do not distribute.

MaxImageWidth

To prevent users from downloading large amounts of data, you can set the image size limit (in pixels) for the GetCoverage request by defining the MaxImageWidth and MaxImageHeight properties, for example:

MaxImageWidth: 256

MaxImageHeight: 256

MaxImageHeight

ProviderName

The name of the WCS service provider, for example:

NASA

ProviderWebsite

A link to a site with information about the WCS service provider, for example:

http://www.noaa.gov

ResponsiblePerson

The primary contact person for the WCS service, for example:

John Smith

ResponsiblePosition

The position of the contact person for the WCS service, for example:

IT Analyst

Phone

The telephone number where the primary contact person for the WCS service can be reached, for example:

+1 909 793-2853

Fax

The fax number where the primary contact person for the WCS service can be reached, for example:

+1 123 456-7890

Email

The email address where the primary contact person for the WCS service can be reached, for example:

user@host.com

Address

The address of the WCS service provider, for example:

380 New York Street

City

The city in which the WCS service provider resides, for example:

Redlands

Province

The administrative area in which the WCS service provider resides, for example:

California

Zipcode

The postal code in which the WCS service provider resides, for example:

92373

Country

The country in which WCS service provider resides, for example:

USA

Online resource

The OnlineResource property lists the URL of the WCS service. It is necessary for a WCS client to communicate correctly with your WCS service. This property is automatically populated by ArcGIS Server and should not be modified.

ServiceHour

The hours in which the primary contact is available to service requests, for example:

24/7

ContactInstructions

Special instructions that should be considered before contacting the WCS service primary contact, for example:

Email John with normal requests, phone John for emergency requests.

Role

Function performed by the party responsible for the WCS service, for example:

PointOfContact

SupportEOProfile

Indicates whether to support Earth Observation application profile in WCS 2.0.1, for example: true

Special characters in service properties

The following characters cannot be included in any of the service properties: &, <, >, ", '. If you need to use one of these characters, you must substitute the appropriate escape sequence from the table below:

CharacterCharacter substitute

&

&amp;

<

&lt;

>

&gt;

"

&quot;

'

&apos;

Configure WCS in ArcGIS Server Manager

You can populate or modify the properties of a WCS service in ArcGIS Server Manager. To do so, follow these steps.

  1. Open Manager and log in. If you need help with this step, see the topic Log in to Manager.
  2. Click Services > Manage Services.
  3. In the Manage Services module, locate your service and click Edit Edit.

    If you don't see your service in the list, it may be located within a subfolder under the Site (root) folder.

  4. In the Edit module, click Capabilities.
  5. In the capabilities list, click WCS and verify that WCS is enabled.
  6. In the WCS Configuration list, choose Enter service properties below.
  7. Populate or modify WCS service properties.
  8. Click Save and Restart.

    The edits to your service are applied immediately.

Configure WCS in ArcGIS Pro

When you publish an image, map, or geodata service that contains raster layers or share a corresponding web layer to ArcGIS Enterprise, you can modify the properties of a WCS service in ArcGIS Pro. To do so, follow these steps.

  1. From the Share As Web Layer pane, click the Configuration tab.
  2. From the Configuration tab, enable the WCS capability.
  3. For the WCS capability, click Configure Web Layer Properties. Configure Web Layer Properties
  4. Populate or modify the WCS service properties as appropriate.
  5. Click Publish to share the WCS enabled layer.

Use external capabilities files with WCS services

Each WCS service exposes service-level metadata through its capabilities file. The capabilities file is the XML response that clients receive when they make a GetCapabilities request on the service. Configuring external capabilities files gives you the flexibility to do the following:

  • Add metadata about the service.
  • Add metadata about each coverage.

To use external capabilities files with WCS services, you must create the files and configure the files for use with your WCS services. The sections below describe this process.

Note:

By using external capabilities files for your WCS service, you are responsible for validating your capabilities files against the DTD or XML schema from OGC. You also assume responsibility for all the synchronization between your capabilities files and the source data from which your WCS service is published.

Create an external capabilities file

To configure a WCS service to use external capabilities files, you must prepare at least one WCS capabilities file. You can create the file from scratch, but it's often easier to use a system-generated capabilities file as a template.

By default, system-generated capabilities files are created automatically every time you send a WCS GetCapabilities request to the service. To use a system-generated capabilities file as a template, you must manually send the GetCapabilities request and save the response as XML. If you want your WCS service to support different versions of WCS protocol—for example, 1.0.0, 1.1.0, 1.1.1, and 2.0.1—you must have one capabilities file for each version of WCS you want to support.

Follow the steps below to create external capabilities files for your WCS service.

  1. If you haven't done so already, publish a service and enable the WCS capability. For more information, see WCS services.
  2. In a web browser, provide the URL of your WCS service.

    The URL is formatted https://gisserver.domain.com:6443/arcgis/services/folder/service/ImageServer/WCSServer.

  3. Append ?request=GetCapabilities&version=1.0.0 to the end of the service URL and press Enter.

    The XML displayed in the browser is WCS 1.0.0 capabilities for your service.

  4. Save the results as an XML file.

    The file name must follow the format <prefix><WCS version>.xml. For example, when you save the result XML from a WCS 1.0.0 GetCapabilities request, the file must use a common prefix (such as Roads) followed by the three-digit WCS version number (100). The resulting file is Roads100.xml.

  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each WCS version you want to support, for example, 1.1.0, 1.1.1, and 2.0.1.
  6. Configure and customize metadata information for the WCS layers in each capabilities file.
  7. Move all the capabilities files into a common folder that is accessible through HTTP.

    Typically, this will be a virtual directory on your organization's web server.

Configure a WCS service to use an external capabilities file using ArcGIS Server Manager

To configure your WCS service to use an external capabilities file, update the WCS service to reference the URL of your capabilities files. You can do this in ArcGIS Server Manager or ArcGIS Pro.

Follow these steps to configure a WCS service with an external capabilities file using ArcGIS Server Manager:

  1. Open ArcGIS Server Manager and log in. If you need help with this step, see Log in to Manager.
  2. Click Services > Manage Services.
  3. In the Manage Services module, locate your service and click Edit Edit.

    If you don't see your service in the list, it may be located in a subfolder under the Site (root) folder.

  4. In the Edit module, click Capabilities.
  5. In the capabilities list, click WCS.
  6. In the WCS Configuration list, choose Use external capabilities files.
  7. In the Specify the location and prefix box, specify the URL of the folder where you placed your capabilities files plus the common prefix you used for the files.

    For example, if the URL to the folder that contains your files is https://webserver.domain.com/arcgis/WCS/services and the common prefix you used is Roads, the URL you specify in the Specify the location and prefix box is https://webserver.domain.com/arcgis/WCS/services/Roads.

  8. Click Save and Restart.

Configure a WCS service with an external capabilities file using ArcGIS Pro

Follow these steps to configure a WCS service with an external capabilities file using ArcGIS Pro:

  1. From the Share As Web Layer pane, click the Configuration tab.
  2. From the Configuration tab, enable the WCS capability.
  3. For the WCS capability, click Configure Web Layer Properties. Configure Web Layer Properties
  4. In WCS Properties, select Use external capabilities files.
  5. In the Location box, specify the URL of the folder where you placed your capabilities files plus the common prefix you used for the files.

    For example, if the URL to the folder that contains your files is https://webserver.domain.com/arcgis/WCS/services and the common prefix you used is Roads, the URL you specify in the Location box is https://webserver.domain.com/arcgis/WCS/services/Roads.

  6. Click Publish.