PwC SCHEMAS Forum for metadata schema implementers Metadata: SCHEMAS and other European projects First Austrian Metadata Seminar, 18 May 2001 Michael Day, UKOLN,

PwC SCHEMAS Forum for metadata schema implementers Metadata: SCHEMAS and other European projects First Austrian Metadata Seminar, 18 May 2001 Michael Day, UKOLN,

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Contents Metadata in Europe SCHEMAS project overview Other European metadata developments: –Dublin Core –Subject gateways –Structural metadata –Preservation metadata

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Metadata in Europe

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May SCHEMAS project Partners –PricewaterhouseCoopers Technology Consultants (PwC) –German National Research Centre for Information Technology (GMD) –UK Office for Library and Information Networking, University of Bath (UKOLN)

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May

7 Audience Who? –Metadata schema designers –Projects under the EU’s IST programme (Multimedia Content and Tools) and national initiatives What for? –Information, guidance and tools for the description of Web resources of all kinds –Helping designers to use what is already there

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Domains Industry Publishing and rights management Audio-visual production and distribution Cultural heritage Education Research Academic services Geospatial information Other (e.g. Government) Not just Dublin Core No ‘best way’ of doing things

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Needs General need for: –Standard methods for content description –Multiplicity of schemas, mixing and matching general and specific sets But: –There is some duplication of effort, competition between standards and schemas –Potential confusion for implementers

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Re-use Why re-use existing schemas? –Not re-inventing wheels –Potential use of standard tools –Higher potential interoperability End result: –Reduction of cost, now and in the future –Enlarging the potential audience –Interoperability

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May The information gap Metadata schemas already identified: –Over 200 implementation activities –Around 90 standardisation activities –Very different levels of information Conclusions: –Good information about schemas is badly needed –Need for mutual understanding, hopefully leading to harmonisation

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May SCHEMAS provides... Information provision –Metadata Watch Reports –Standards Framework Reports –Guidance material Workshops Registry implementation –Schemas, application profiles, people, projects, standards, tools, guidelines

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May SCHEMAS results First Workshop (Bath, June 2000) - report Metadata Watch Reports: #1 (July 2000), #2 (September 2000), #3 (November 2000) Standards Framework Report: #1 (Sept. 2000) Second Workshop (Bonn, November 2000)

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May SCHEMAS Registry Experience with prototype registry developed by DESIRE II project The registry is the place to publish metadata schemas: –‘namespace schemas’ –‘application profile schemas’ As well as other information about schemas, e.g.: –standards, projects, people, tools, etc.

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Thick registry Thick Registry Namespace schema App profile Sample data Mapping Usage guide Software tools Users

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Thin registry Thin Registry Namespace schema App profile Sample data Mapping Usage guide Software toolsUsers

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Registry approach The SCHEMAS registry will be: –a ‘thick registry’ initially, with schemas registered at a central location –develop into a ‘thin registry’ in the future, with pointers to schemas on the Web The technical basis will be: –RDF Schemas –EOR toolkit

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May EOR Toolkit

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Registry functions Registration –schemas from European projects and initiatives –information and reviews from SCHEMAS domain correspondents Searching –Finding application profiles for re-use –Finding information and guidance

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Application profiles What is an application profile? –a schema identifying the use of elements from one or more namespaces in a particular application, with additional constraints What is it used for? –To publish this information for a human audience –To help software configure

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Profile process Common steps in defining profile –identify requirements for descriptive elements –find appropriate standard –link required elements to standard elements where possible –define remaining elements and/or qualifiers in private namespace –link remaining elements

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Contacts Makx Dekkers Rachel Heery Tom Baker Web site:

PwC

Other European projects Metadata: SCHEMAS and other European projects First Austrian Metadata Seminar, 18 May 2001 Michael Day,

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May

First Austrian Metadata Seminar, Vienna, 18 May Acknowledgements UKOLN is funded by...