Introducing
Geospatial Metadata
A Two-day Workshop About Metadata
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---1
What’s Metadata?
What Metadata Is and Why You Need to Know
About It
Topic 1
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---2
What’s Metadata?
Two similar paintings by
Picasso sold for vastly
different prices
Why?
One had metadata. One
didn’t
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---3
What’s Metadata?
Metadata is information about data
If you had two cans without
labels, which would you
eat?
Without a label, how would
you know which was tuna
and which was cat food?
Tuna?
Cat Food?
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---4
What’s Metadata?
We often use metadata
without even knowing it
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---5
What’s Metadata?
A published map contains the elements
of metadata…
• Publisher
• Publication date
• Type of map
• Description
• Spatial references
• Scale and accuracy
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---6
What’s Metadata?
Metadata is a critical
component of a complete
data set
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---7
What’s Metadata?
It’s data about a data set
Metadata
Title
Data set
GIS files
Scale
Source
Content
Location
Publication
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Imagery
Geospatial
databases
GPS data
Access
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---8
What’s Metadata?
Metadata is the “stuff” to help you find
and understand data — whether the
data is a…
•
•
•
•
•
list
spreadsheet
database
CAD drawing
GIS map
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---9
What’s Metadata?
Metadata helps those who need
geospatial data find what they need
and determine how to use it
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Geospatial data: any data with a
spatial component, including maps,
charts, in situ data
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---10
What’s Metadata?
Metadata describes…


content, quality, condition, and other
characteristics about data
who, what, where, why, and how of a
data set
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---11
What’s Metadata?
Metadata answers questions…
• Who created and maintains the
data?
• Why were the data created?
• What is the content and structure of
the data?
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---12
What’s Metadata?
Metadata answers questions…
• When collected? When published?
• Where is the geographic location? Storage
location?
• How were the data produced?
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---13
What’s Metadata?
Metadata includes information you need
to…
• determine which data exist for a geographic
location
• determine if a set meets your need
• acquire the set you identified
• process and use the set
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---14
Why Bother with
Metadata?
Why Metadata Is Essential for the Long Term
Topic 2
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---15
Why Bother with Metadata?
You probably already have
metadata in some form:
• Manila folders stuffed with notes
• Readme files
• Hardcopy data catalogs
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---16
Why Bother with Metadata?
Documenting data is critical
to preserving its usefulness
over time
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---17
Why Bother with Metadata?
Without proper
documentation, no data set
is complete
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---18
Why Bother with Metadata?
Data
users
Metadata
helps…
Organizations
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---19
Why Bother with Metadata?
For data developers, metadata helps:

Avoid duplication

Share reliable information

Publicize efforts

Reduce workload
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---20
Why Bother with Metadata?
For data users, metadata:

Facilitates understanding

Focuses on key elements

Enables discovery — inside and outside
organizations
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---21
Why Bother with Metadata?
For organizations, metadata helps:
• Protect investments
• Counter personnel changes
• Create institutional memory
• Share data with other agencies
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---22
Why Bother with Metadata?
For organizations, metadata helps:

Reduce costs

Limit potential liability

Save time and money
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---23
What Does Good
Metadata Look Like?
Metadata at Its Best
Topic 3
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---24
What Does Metadata Look Like?
Metadata in the FGDC format
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---25
What Does Metadata Look Like?
Informative title
Geographic location
Sections of
the
standard
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---26
What Does Metadata Look Like?
Identification
Information
Originator
Abstract
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---27
Why Share Your
Metadata?
Why Clearinghouses Are Necessary to Our Work
Topic 4
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---28
Why Share Your Metadata?
A metadata clearinghouse is a
location — typically accessed through
the Internet — to search for spatial
data sets
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---29
Why Share Your Metadata?
A clearinghouse is a decentralized system
of Internet servers you can search
Client
Servers with metadata
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---30
Why Share Your Metadata?
Clearinghouses make
metadata records easy to
find
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---31
Why Share Your Metadata?
Why clearinghouses and not web
indexes?
• You can’t do a complete search
• You can only do full-text searches
• You can’t limit your search to particular fields
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---32
Why Share Your Metadata?
• You can’t perform date, numeric, geographic
searches
• Place names don’t always relate to lat/lon
• You don’t have search access to existing
databases
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---33
Why Share Your Metadata?
The National Geospatial Data
Clearinghouse has more than 100
spatial data servers with digital
geographic data
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---34
Why Share Your Metadata?
Some specific examples:
• FGDC Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
• Montana State Library Natural Resource
Information System GIS
• Nebraska Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
• Wisconsin Land Information Clearinghouse
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---35
Why Share Your Metadata?
The NGDC has the people and
infrastructure to help you find out who
has what geographic information
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---36
Why Share Your Metadata?
The NGDC is a set of information services
that use hardware, software, and
telecommunications networks to provide
searchable access to information
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---37
Why Share Your Metadata?
The clearinghouse includes federal,
state, university, and vendor
participants in the United States and
abroad
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---38
Why Share Your Metadata?
A digital geospatial data set is the
target unit of description defined
in the clearinghouse
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---39
Why Share Your Metadata?
You can search all or part of the
community in a single session
x
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---40
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---41
Why Share Your Metadata?
You can define
your criteria
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---42
Why Share Your Metadata?
You can select a
server
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---43
Why Share Your Metadata?
Don’t
You can view your search results
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---44
Why Share Your Metadata?
Help us keep metadata
accurate and up to date
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---45
Why Share Your Metadata?
Make creating metadata part of
the process of developing your
data
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---46
Why Have a
Standard?
What the CSDGM Standard Is and How It Helps Us
All
Topic 5
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---47
Why Have a Standard?
The FGDC Metadata
Workbook, Version 2.0 is
free and can be
downloaded
www.fgdc.gov/metadata/csdgm/
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---48
Why Have a Standard?
The standard helps you determine:
• if a set of geospatial data is available
and fit for your use
• how to access and transfer the set
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---49
Why Have a Standard?
A standard helps to create:
• Common terms
• Common definitions
Process
step
entity
• Common language
domain
• Common structure
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---50
Why Have a Standard?
The standard…
• establishes names of data elements and
compound elements
• defines information about values provided
for data elements
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entity
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---51
Why Have a Standard?
The standard serves as a
uniform summary
description of the data set
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---52
Why Have a Standard?
If you’re creating metadata for the
first time, the standard may seem
complex
Stick with it
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---53
Why Have a Standard?
The key to using the standard…
• Find the fields that are pertinent to
your data and your organization
• Build a template
• Use the template
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---54
Why Have a Standard?
Don’t create your own
standard — you’ll only
confuse people
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---55
Why Have a Standard?
The standard will benefit all of us
— for years to come
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---56
Why Have a Standard?
Online systems rely on data being
predictable in form and content
Predictability is assured only when we
conform to a standard
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---57
All About the Green
Book
Details About the Sections and Terms of the
Standard
Topic 6
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---58
All About the Green Book
FGDC’s Metadata Workbook:
a.k.a. the Green Book
334 metadata elements and
their production rules
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---59
All About the Green Book
A view from the FGDC
Metadata Workbook
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---60
All About the Green Book
Metadata
Main Sections
Supporting Sections
1. Identification
8. Citation
2. Data Quality
9. Time Period
3. Spatial Data Org.
0. Metadata
4. Spatial Reference
10. Contact
5. Entity and Attrib.
6. Distribution
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7. Metadata Ref.
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---61
All About the Green Book
By Susan Stitt
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---62
All About the Green Book
Compound
Element
Data Element
Mandatory: must be provided
Mandatory if applicable: must
be provided if the data set
exhibits the defined
characteristic
Optional: provided at the
discretion of the data producer
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---63
All About the Green Book
Hierarchical structure shows
relationship
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---64
How Do You Write Good
Metadata?
Rules and Tips for Creating Quality Metadata Files
Topic 7
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---65
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
Organize information
Write your metadata file
Review your file
Have someone review
Steps to
Quality
Metadata
Revise it
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Publish
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---66
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
Before creating
your metadata…
Get organized!
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---67
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
Keep your readers in mind
• Write simply but completely
• Document for a general audience
• Be consistent in style and
terminology
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---68
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
Think about the long-term effects
• Don’t use jargon
• Define technical terms and acronyms
— CA, LA, GPS, GIS
• Clearly state data limitations
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---69
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
• Don’t use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
• Use subheadings
• Use bulleted lists
• Cite examples
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---70
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
The title is critical in helping readers find
your data
Which is better?
Greater Yellowstone Rivers from 1:126,700
Forest Visitor Maps (1961-1983)
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---71
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
Useful titles
Near Real Time Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
(AVHRR) Data-Satellite Imagery from NOAA CSC Coastal Remote
Sensing Division
Ace Basin, South Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve
Digital Line Boundary
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---72
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
Write a complete title, including:
• What
• Where
• When
• Scale
• Who
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---73
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
An informative title includes:
• Topic
• Timeliness of the data
• Specific information about place and
geography
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---74
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
If the data are officially published, in
the title include:
• Series name
• Issue number
• Name of publisher
• Location of publisher
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---75
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
Be specific. Quantify when you can.
Vague:
We checked our work and it looks
complete.
Specific:
We checked our work using 3 separate
sets of check plots reviewed by 2
different people. We determined our
work to be 95% complete based on
these visual inspections.
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---76
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
Select your key words wisely
• Use unambiguous words
• Use descriptive words
• Fully qualify geographic locations
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---77
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
Remember, a computer will read your
metadata:
• Don’t use symbols that might be
misinterpreted
!@#%{}|/\<>~
• Don’t use characters with dual
interpretations
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---78
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
• Don’t use tabs or indents
• Be careful with carriage returns
• Use “none” or “unknown” meaningfully
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---79
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
Review your final product
• Have someone else read it
• If you’re the only reviewer, put it
away and read it again later
• Check for clarity and omissions
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---80
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
When you review your work, ask:
• Can a novice understand what you
wrote?
• Are your data properly documented
for posterity?
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---81
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
• Does the documentation present
all the information needed to use or
reuse the data?
• Are any pieces missing?
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---82
How Do You Write Good Metadata?
• Think like a novice
• Put yourself in someone else’s
shoes
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---83
Tools to Help You
Tools That You Can Use to Create Quality
Metadata
Topic 8
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---84
Tools to Help You
No tool can check the
accuracy of metadata
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---85
Tools to Help You
You don’t need specific
hardware or software to meet
the requirements of the
standard
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---86
Tools to Help You
But different tools can help you create,
validate, or distribute your metadata
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---87
Tools to Help You
Tools can make your job easier:
• Intelligent tools extract information
from data sets
• Form-based tools have a userinterface to guide you
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---88
Tools to Help You
• ASCII and word-processor
templates - Used to edit template
documents
• Utilities - Produce and process
metadata in some form
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---89
Tools to Help You
Look for…
• Guidance without forced compliance
• Stability
• An OS/interface you know
• No restriction on length of text field
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---90
Tools to Help You
Consider…
• Cost
• Platform
• Data-entry method
• Level of compliance
• User support
Don’t
• Capabilities
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---91
Tools to Help You
Don’t
www.fgdc.gov/metadata/toollist/metatool.html
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---92
Tools to Help You
• USGS Metadata Editor
• Corpsmet 95 metadata creation freeware
• NBII Metamaker tool
• NOAA CSC’s ArcView® Metadata Collector
Extension
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November 2000
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---93
Tools to Help You
• USGS Metamaker
• DataTracker
• Spatial Metadata Manager Software
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November 2000
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---94
Tools to Help You
Reviews are available online…
• Wisconsin NSDI Clearinghouse
• Ohio State University, Ohio
Geographically Referenced Information
Program
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---95
Using the
Clearinghouse
Using the Clearinghouse to Distribute Your Data
Topic 9
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---96
Using the Clearinghouse
The FGDC Clearinghouse selected
the search and retrieve software ANSI
Z39.50-1995 (ISO 10163-1995)
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---97
Using the Clearinghouse
The clearinghouse has
environmental and base
cartographic information
predominately
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---98
Using the Clearinghouse
127 nodes (servers) online
Fed er al
28%
Loc al
17%
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I n t e rn a t i o n a l
20%
as of 7/99
Duck
Metadata
State
35%
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---99
Using the Clearinghouse
Federal participants
• NOAA (10)
• DOT NTAD
• USGS (6)
• National Park Service
• FEMA (sampler)
• Army Corps of Engineers
• NRCS (sampler)
• Tri-Services Center
• CIESIN/EPA
• National Wetlands Inventory
• CIESIN/NASA
• Census (sampler)
Don’t
as of 7/99
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---100
Using the Clearinghouse
How can you participate?
• Set up your own node
• Send metadata to an existing node
• Have another organization host your node
• Put metadata on a web page for future
“harvesting” to a node
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---101
Using the Clearinghouse
Why set up a node?
• You control your metadata
• It’s easy to set up
• You choose the software
• The software operates on typical web server
platforms
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---102
Using the Clearinghouse
• In setting up a node, most work is in
preparing metadata for available data sets
• Store these data in a structured form,
according to the standard
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---103
Using the Clearinghouse
Check your metadata for
completeness, accuracy, and
quality
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---104
Using the Clearinghouse
Meet clearinghouse requirements:
•Proper format
•Proper field names and values
•Appropriate formats: text, HTML, and
SGML
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---105
Using the Clearinghouse
Parsing and validation tools check for
structural or content errors
mp
metadata
documents
metadata parser
software
error
reports
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---106
Using the Clearinghouse
Validate your metadata by
using cns and mp software
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---107
Using the Clearinghouse
Run original file through cns
Create
Metadata
Correct original file
YES
Errors in
Errorserror.txt?
in error.txt?
NO
Run cns output through mp
Correct original file
YES
Errors in
error.txt?
NO
Run cns output through mp to make
text, SGML, HTML files
Don’t
Place 3 files on searchable system
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---108
Using the Clearinghouse
The tool produces metadata in HTML,
SGML, and TEXT
mp
HTML
TEXT
SGML
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---109
Using the Clearinghouse
Then indexes files by searchable fields
into document database
HTML
TEXT
index
searchable
document
database
SGML
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---110
Using the Clearinghouse
<html>
<head>
<title>1989 Land Cover/Land Use on the Upper Mississippi River System</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>1989 Land Cover/Land Use on the Upper Mississippi River System</h1>
<h2>Metadata:</h2>
<ul>
<li><A HREF="#Identification_Information">Identification_Information</A>
<li><A HREF="#Data_Quality_Information">Data_Quality_Information</A>
<li><A
HREF="#Spatial_Data_Organization_Information">Spatial_Data_Organization_Informati
on</A>
mp HTML file
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---111
Using the Clearinghouse
mp HTML file
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Metadata
November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---112
Using the Clearinghouse
<!DOCTYPE METADATA PUBLIC "-//FGDC//DTD METADATA 1.0//EN">
<metadata>
<idinfo>
<citation>
mp SGML file
<citeinfo>
<origin>Kurt P. Kowalski and Douglas A. Wilcox</origin>
<origin>Great Lakes Science Center</origin>
<origin>Biological Resources Division</origin>
<pubdate>1997</pubdate>
<title>Coastal Wetland Vegetation Analysis (Metzger Marsh)
</title>
<pubinfo>
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<pubplace>Ann Arbor, MI</pubplace>
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November 2000
Introducing Geospatial Metadata ---113
Using the Clearinghouse
Identification_Information:
Citation:
mp TEXT file
Citation_Information:
Originator: Environmental Management Technical Center
Publication_Date: 19950829
Title: 1989 Land Cover/Land Use on the Upper Mississippi River System
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Map
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Environmental Management Technical Center
Publisher: Environmental Management Technical Center (EMTC)
Don’t
Other_Citation_Details: White, B. M. and T. W. Owens. 1991. Geographic Information
System Pilot Project For The Upper Mississippi River System. U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, National Ecology Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, June 1991.
LTRMP 91-05. 48 pp. + Appendix.
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Using the Clearinghouse
cns and mp command line validation
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Using the Clearinghouse
To incorporate your metadata into a
clearinghouse…
• Spell out the element names exactly
• Keep the parent/child relationships
• Don’t omit intermediate compound element
headings
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Where Do You Go from
Here?
Where to Find Help While You’re Back at Work
Topic 10
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Other Resources
• FGDC metadata website
• CSDGM Workbook (The Green Book),
Version 2
• Image map of the CSDGM Version 2 by
Susan Stitt, USGS-NBS
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Other Resources
• Mentor Software Freeware converter
• Chuck Taylor Freeware Toolbox
• FGDC tutorial on setting up a
clearinghouse node
• Search for Geographic Data, FGDC,
National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
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What Now?
• Don’t invent your own standard
• Consider data granularity
• Prioritize your data
• Document to preserve value within
your organization
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What Now?
• Use the standard
• Spread the word
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