2008 EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project Geospatial Metadata: Introduction Module 2: FGDC CSDGM Metadata Compliancy

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 2 Training Structure Agenda What is metadata compliancy? Why metadata compliancy? Mandatory elements Testing compliancy Common errors and usual suspects Ways to resolve and/or avoid errors Materials Sample records & data

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 3 Learning Objectives After completing this module the student can: Describe what FGDC ‘compliancy’ is and what is required for ‘compliancy’ Identify which sections of the FGDC CSDGM are required for minimum compliancy and what constitutes ‘compliancy’ Describe why compliancy is important Describe how to test if your metadata is compliant List some commonly found compliancy errors Describe some ways to troubleshoot and resolve compliancy errors

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 4 FGDC Metadata Compliancy What is Metadata Compliancy?  FGDC-established requirements for metadata  Sections and elements classified as mandatory, mandatory if applicable, and optional  To be considered FGDC-compliant a metadata record must: Include all mandatory sections - “Minimum compliancy” requires sections 1 and 7 (identification information & metadata reference information) Include all mandatory elements within each section - Some compound elements have nested requirements. Use the correct format (e.g., dates [YYYYMMDD]) and information (e.g., update frequency) where applicable - Many elements are free text, but some have restricted domains (code lists of acceptable values). - Some elements have suggested domains, but are free text Contain the correct number of elements - Some elements can repeat (e.g., attributes); some cannot (e.g., abstract)

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 5 FGDC Metadata Compliancy Why Metadata Compliancy?  Federal agencies are required to have FGDC-compliant records  Ensure that important information is present  Ensure compatibility date/number formats restricted domains  Improve consistency

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 6 FGDC Metadata Compliancy FGDC CSDGM Mandatory Elements (shown in red)  Section 1: Identification Information (8 mandatory elements) citation, description, time period, status, spatial domain, keywords, access constraints, use constraints  Section 2: Data Quality Information (3 mandatory elements*) logical consistency report, completeness report, lineage  Section 3: Spatial Data Organization (technically 0 mandatory elements*) Indirect or direct spatial reference  Section 4: Spatial Reference Information (technically 0 mandatory elements*) Horizontal and/or vertical coordinate system definition  Section 5: Entity and Attribute Information (1 mandatory element*) Detailed description or overview description, or both  Section 6: Distribution Information (2 mandatory elements*) Distributor, Distribution Liability  Section 7: Metadata Reference Information (4 mandatory elements) Metadata Date, Metadata Contact, Metadata Standard Version, Metadata Standard Name * mandatory when section is used

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 7 FGDC Metadata Compliancy How can I tell if my metadata are compliant? Compliancy is usually tested using metaparser (mp):  - online version  - additional information

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 8 FGDC Metadata Compliancy How can I tell if my metadata are compliant? (cont.)  The graphical image map (

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 9 FGDC Metadata Compliancy How can I tell if my metadata are compliant? (cont.)

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 10 Metadata Compliancy & Validation Demonstration basic_compliancy_test.xml FGDC Metadata Compliancy

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 11 FGDC Metadata Compliancy Some common metadata errors and their potential culprits  Missing elements, especially with compound elements Attributes Section: often the largest error section ESRI’s FGDC Synchronizer may be the cause Inserting new elements may have a ‘domino effect’  Misplaced elements Lineage can be misplaced from editing in ArcToolbox - E.g., adding a new field Processing steps when importing in ArcCatalog - Date and time errors  Unknown Extension Errors (“Warnings”) ESRI metadata profile  Bad Values Dates: YYYYMMDD Numbers: Abcissa resolution default Restricted Domains: progress element is a common error

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 12 FGDC Metadata Compliancy What are Synchronizers?  Synchronization is the process by which properties of a data set are read from the data set and written into its metadata. Bounding coordinates Spatial Reference information Attributes Others…..  ESRI uses synchronizers to insert information into your metadata.  There are different types available using ESRI software: FGDC Synchronizer ISO Synchronizer Geography Network  You can tell which elements are synchronized when you look at the XML for the record (e.g., )

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 13 FGDC Metadata Compliancy How can I fix/avoid these errors? Turn synchronizers off  Benefit: ensures that elements are not inserted in your record unknowingly  Drawback: some people want certain information to be inserted (e.g., bounding coordinates) Set working synchronizers Uncheck ‘enable automatic update of metadata’ when using a template Use additional tools and templates discussed in upcoming sections Use ESRI’s ‘Sample Metadata Toolbox’  Remove ESRI elements  Remove empty elements  Many others…. Use a good text or xml editor

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 14 Metadata Compliancy & Validation Demonstration 2 synchronizer.shp FGDC Metadata Compliancy

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 15 FGDC Metadata Compliancy Some additional notes for metadata sanity Prioritize your errors  Some errors may be more critical than others Think beyond FGDC Compliancy (is there anything else?)  It is important but is not the only aspect of high-quality metadata  A perfectly compliant record may be useless if it suffers from Not enough content Inaccurate content Out of date content Spelling errors Incorrect online linkage  Check your record for these issues as well as compliancy!

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 16 FGDC Metadata Compliancy Resources Some Key Resources for Smooth Sailing through Metadata Compliancy Metaparser   FGDC CSDGM Graphical Image Map  Metadata Toolbox Help Information  PID=13 PID=13 ESRI’s EDN site (for additional custom tools) 

EPA and Partners Metadata Training Program: 2008 CAP Project 17 FGDC Metadata Compliancy FGDC CSDGM Compliancy Quiz  What does it mean if your metadata is compliant? A.It contains all mandatory sections B.It contains all mandatory elements within a section C.It has the correct number of elements D.All of the above  What are the 2 minimally required sections? A.Identification information and metadata reference information B.Entities and Attributes C.Identification Information and data quality information D.Spatial reference information and distribution information  What is a reason for developing compliant metadata? A.Improve sharing B.Improve consistency C.Make sure that your metadata has all the information it needs D.All of the above