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Lesson 7: What is Metadata
What is Metadata
• Working with data
• Defining metadata
• Examining the various types of information included in a
metadata record
CC image by Alec Couros on Flickr
• Examples of metadata standards
What is Metadata
After completing this lesson, the participant will be able to:
• Define metadata
• Give examples of metadata in the real world
• Identify and list the types of information included in a
metadata record
• Name at least 3 different metadata standards
What is Metadata
Plan
Analyze
Collect
Integrate
Assure
Discover
Describe
Preserve
What is Metadata
What is Metadata
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CC image by acordova on Flickr
CC image by Justin See on Flickr
CC image by CIMMYT on Flickr
Average Temperature of Observation for Each Species
Species
Average
Temperature
Temperature
Standard
Deviation
Number of
Observations
Minimum
Temperature
Maximum
Temperature
Northern
Red-legged Frog
4.4
---
1
4.4
4.4
Tailed Frog
7.0
3.0
3
4
10
Arizona Toad
10.0
---
1
10
10
Strecker's Chorus
Frog
10.5
2.0
11
9
16
Oregon Spotted
Frog
11.0
15.5
2
0
22
New Jersey Chorus
Frog
11.5
4.5
17
3
22
Wood Frog
12.5
5.5
897
0
28.8
Spring Peeper
13.2
5.6
569
-1
32
Red-legged Frog
13.3
5.9
16
4
27
What is Metadata
What is Metadata
CC image by Heather Kennedy on Flickr
• Definition: A collection of data
• Generally datasets can be defined as:
o Spatial – a collection of logically related features arranged in a
prescribed manner such as GIS map layers, water features, etc
o Tabular – a file, spreadsheet, data in a table
o Many tabular datasets are inherently “spatial”, e.g. water-quality
samples associated with stream collection sites
• Elements in a dataset can include:
o Values, measures, points, coordinates, conditions, qualities,
frequencies, or attributes that are a result of an observational study
What is Metadata
• When you provide data to someone else, what types of
information would you want to include with the data?
• When you receive a dataset from an external source, what
types of details do you want to know about the data?
What is Metadata
• Providing data:
o Why were the data created?
o What limitations, if any, do the data have?
o What does the data mean?
o How should the data be cited if it is re-used in a new study?
• Receiving data:
o What are the data gaps?
o What processes were used for creating the data?
o Are there any fees associated with the data?
o In what scale were the data created?
o What do the values in the tables mean?
o What software do I need in order to read the data?
o What projection are the data in?
o Can I give these data to someone else?
What is Metadata
•
•
•
•
•
•
WHO created the data?
WHAT is the content of the data?
WHEN were the data created?
WHERE is it geographically?
HOW were the data developed?
WHY were the data developed?
What is Metadata
Photo by Michelle Chang. All Rights Reserved
Metadata is: Data ‘reporting’
Author(s) Boullosa, Carmen.
Title(s) They're cows, we're pigs /
by Carmen Boullosa
Place New York : Grove Press, 1997.
Physical Descr viii, 180 p ; 22 cm.
Subject(s) Pirates Caribbean Area Fiction.
Format Fiction
What is Metadata
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CC image by Mskadu on Flickr
• Metadata is all around…
• A Standard provides a structure to describe data with:
o Common terms to allow consistency between records
o Common definitions for easier interpretation
o Common language for ease of communication
o Common structure to quickly locate information
• In search and retrieval, standards provide:
o Documentation structure in a reliable and predictable format for
computer interpretation
o A uniform summary description of the dataset
What is Metadata
What is Metadata
CC image by I like on Flickr
• Dublin Core Element Set
o Emphasis on web resources, publications
• FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM)
o Emphasis on geospatial data
o Biological Data Profile (BDP) of the CSDGM
o Profile to the CSDGM emphasis on biological data (and geospatial)
• ISO 19115/19139 Geographic information: Metadata
o Emphasis on geospatial data and services
• Ecological Metadata Language (EML)
o Focus on ecological data
• Darwin Core
o Emphasis on museum specimens
• Geography Markup Language (GML)
o Emphasis on geographic features (roads, highways, bridges)
What is Metadata
• Metadata is documentation of data
• A metadata record captures critical information about a
dataset
• Metadata allows data to be discovered, accessed, and reused
• A metadata standard provides structure and consistency to
data documentation
What is Metadata
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What is Metadata