Metadata for Managers Michael Moeller Metadata Specialist NOAA Coastal Services Center

What is Metadata?

Setting the Stage Geospatial Refers to any data set tied to a location on the Earth’s surface. Metadata When referring to metadata, we assume the metadata is well-written and fully developed.

Simply put, metadata is information about your data. What is Metadata?

This is the metadata for this. What’s Missing? Emily and Madison

This is the metadata for this. While the card-catalog entry is a form of metadata, it does not address topics such as quality, accuracy, or scale. Well-written geospatial metadata describes these and many more aspects of the data. Rodale's illustrated encyclopedia of herbs ISBN: x (pbk.) : $17.95 ISBN: : $24.95 Title: Rodale's illustrated encyclopedia of herbs / Claire Kowalchik & William H. Hylton, editors ; writers, Anna Carr... [et al.]. Publication info: Emmaus, Pa. : Rodale Press, c1987. Physical descrip: vi, 545 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 24 cm. General Note: Includes index. Subject term: Herbs. Subject term: Herbs--Utilization. Subject term: Herb gardening. Subject term: Herbs--History. Subject term: Herbals. Added author: Kowalchik, Claire. Added author: Hylton, William H. Added author: Carr, Anna, Added author: Rodale Press. Rodale's illustrated encyclopedia of herbs ISBN: x (pbk.) : $17.95 ISBN: : $24.95 Title: Rodale's illustrated encyclopedia of herbs / Claire Kowalchik & William H. Hylton, editors ; writers, Anna Carr... [et al.]. Publication info: Emmaus, Pa. : Rodale Press, c1987. Physical descrip: vi, 545 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 24 cm. General Note: Includes index. Subject term: Herbs. Subject term: Herbs--Utilization. Subject term: Herb gardening. Subject term: Herbs--History. Subject term: Herbals. Added author: Kowalchik, Claire. Added author: Hylton, William H. Added author: Carr, Anna, Added author: Rodale Press.

This is the metadata for this.

Metadata as a Component of Data

Properly documented data provides vital information to interested parties. A Component of Data

Metadata is that component of data which describes it. Environmental Sensitivity Index Data A Component of Data RARNUM - unique combination of species, concentration, and seasonality CONC (concentration) = Density species is found at location Season_ID = seasonality code like to the seasonal table Element - Biology group Metadata

Metadata describes… CONTENT CONDITION QUALITY Characteristics of the data Characteristics of the data A Component of Data

Metadata can describe a variety of data. Title Scale Source Content Location Publication Access Title Scale Source Content Location Publication Access MetadataMetadata A Component of Data GIS files Imagery Geospatial Databases GPS data Biological data In situ data GIS files Imagery Geospatial Databases GPS data Biological data In situ data Data set

A Component of Data Because metadata provides vital information about a dataset, it should never be viewed or treated as a separate entity. Metadata Non-spatial or attributes Spatial Take Home Message Metadata is a critical and integral component of any complete data set. Metadata is a critical and integral component of any complete data set.

The Value of Metadata

The Value of Metadata The Current Concept Primary external value Discovery Assessment Access Use

The Value of Metadata The Current Concept Primary internal value “Inheritance” “Properly documenting a data set is the key to preserving its usefulness through time.”

The Value of Metadata An Emerging Concept An aid to data management Internal value Discovery Assessment Access Use

Additional data management benefits An Emerging Concept Data Currency Date of last edit/update Age of source files Data Utility Track source file usage Track distribution frequency

Monitoring Data Development Data processing steps Status of development Estimating Development Costs Data processing – time and extent Source file availability Additional data management benefits An Emerging Concept

To realize the full potential of metadata under this new concept, metadata creation must become integral to the data development process. The question is “How?” Make metadata part of the process

Approach metadata development from a business perspective Build administrative support Preserves data investment Limits liability Helps manage data resources Aids in external data acquisition Facilitates data access and transfer Provides for efficient data distribution Make metadata part of the process

Stress the individual benefits of metadata Build technical support Reduces workload over the long term Field fewer data inquiries Provides a means of documenting personal contributions Facilitates sharing of reliable information Make metadata part of the process

Develop strong staff support Incorporate metadata expectations into job descriptions and performance standards Build technical support Provide staff development opportunities The three “T’s”  Training  Tools  Time Make metadata part of the process

Develop templates to facilitate efficient and consistent metadata creation Build organizational support Identify pertinent fields within the metadata structure Populate fixed fields  Use standardized language  Define distribution methods  Cite standards used Build source and contact libraries Make metadata part of the process

Map metadata fields to the work flow Distribute the effort  Technicians – lineage  Analysts – process and methodology  Field Scientists – accuracy assessments  I.T. Managers – tools, automated collection methods, information management Make metadata part of the process Establish and assign responsibilities

Mandate the use of standards and templates Develop boilerplate metadata-deliverable language for data contractors Require publication of metadata Create and publish standard operating procedures to document metadata policies and procedures Establish standard policies Make metadata part of the process

Standardized Metadata

Why Have a Standard? Think for a moment how hard it would be to… … bake a cake without standard units of measurement. … put gas into your car without standard nozzle sizes. … plug a lamp into a socket without standard electrical outlets.

The standard for metadata ensures a level of consistency in data documentation. Standards ensure consistency. Why Have a Standard?

Establishing a Standard The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) was organized in 1990 under the Office of Management and Budget to promote the coordinated use, sharing, and dissemination of geospatial data on a national basis. The FGDC was tasked with creating a metadata standard to meet these objectives. The Metadata Standard

"... each agency shall document all new geospatial data it collects or produces, either directly or indirectly, using the standard under development by the FGDC, and make that standardized documentation electronically accessible to the Clearinghouse network." The Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM) Executive Order 12906, 1994 Establishing a Standard

This “Content Standard” serves as a uniform summary description of the data set. Establishing a Standard

The Content Standard utilizes... Common terms Common definitions Common language Common structure Access constraints Citation currentness entity attribute domain lineage Process step Establishing a Standard

The Content Standard… Establishes names of compound elements and data elements. Defines the information about the values that are to be provided for the data elements. Type=“free text” Domain=Real currentness entity attribute Citation lineage Establishing a Standard

The Content Standard helps the user determine... If a set of geospatial data is available and fit for a particular use. How to access and transfer the data set. Establishing a Standard

Who Who collected the data? Who processed the data? Who wrote the metadata? Who to contact for questions? Who to contact to order? Who owns the data? Where Where were the data collected? Where were the data processed? Where are the data located? What What are the data about? What project were they collected under? What are the constraints on their use? What is the quality? What are appropriate uses? What parameters were measured? What format are the data in? When When were the data collected? When were the data processed? How How were the data collected? How were the data processed? How do I access the data? How do I order the data? How much do the data cost? How was the quality assessed? Why Why were the data collected? Metadata written using the Content Standard answers these important questions: Establishing a Standard

Metadata as a Data Discovery Tool

The FGDC metadata clearinghouse is a decentralized system of Internet servers you can use to search for available geospatial data. Discovering Data Through Metadata User http FGDC Gateway Z39.50 Clearinghouse Servers Industry & NGO’s Universities State agencies Federal agencies Web user interface Gateway using standard protocols Multiple organizations providing metadata

The descriptive information that fuels the FGDC clearinghouse is metadata, which is collected in a standard format to facilitate query and consistent presentation across the multiple participating sites. Discovering Data Through Metadata

A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse The FGDC has six gateways to its clearinghouse system, with access to over 425 metadata servers

Searches can be performed by using the NSDI Search Wizard, or by using a map interface with place names, or by place names alone. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

The new NSDI “Smart Select” Search Wizard bins servers by the types of metadata they house. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

Searches can be performed using a map interface that allows the user to define an area of interest. An area of interest can be defined by dragging an area of interest box on the map interface. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

The selected area defines the bounding coordinates that will be used in the search. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

You can search all the servers listed, or you can select only those that interest you. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

Select individual servers of interest to your search. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

Search criteria can be further refined by time period of content and keywords. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

The status of each selected node is displayed as the search is conducted. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

When the search is complete, the status window lets you know if you were successful in discovering metadata that matched your search criteria. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

Select a server to see what metadata is available. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

Metadata discovered by the search is shown by title. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

Metadata record returned in HTML format. Links take you to each of the seven main sections of the record. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse

The Coastal Information Directory (CID) at the NOAA Coastal Services Center is similar to the FGDC gateway interface, but the CID searches only those spatial data servers that house metadata of a coastal nature. A Brief Look at the FGDC Clearinghouse