Introduction to Geospatial Metadata – FGDC CSDGM National Coastal Data Development Center A division of the National Oceanographic Data Center Please a list of participants at each location to Also questions for the Q&A session to

CSDGM Resources Series Materials: ftp://ftp.ncddc.noaa.gov/pub/Metada ta/Online_ISO_Training/Intro_to_CSD GM/ CSDGM Geospatial Metadata Standards: atial-metadata-standards#csdgm

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 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. FGDC Authored Metadata Standards

"... 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." Executive Order 12906, signed by President Clinton in Executive Order 12906, signed by President Clinton in The Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM)

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

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

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? 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? 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? 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? 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? 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? Why Why were the data collected? Metadata written using the Content Standard answers these important questions:

The FGDC Standard Organization and Content

The CSDSGM Standard Organization and Content

Production Rules of the Content Standard

The CSDGM Workbook – Organization and Content Parallels the Standard Defines 334 available metadata elements

It is a resource for applying the FGDC Content Standards Provides section and element definitions Describes domain values – Valid values that can be assigned Uses a Graphical Representation of the Production Rules Using the Workbook

The Workbook uses graphics to illustrate the production rules of the standard. How elements are grouped What is mandatory and what is not What elements can repeat and how many times they can repeat Using the Graphical Representation The graphics include most of the information provided by the production rules:

Using the Graphical Representation Section Compound Element Compound elements are depicted using a 2-dimensional box Data Element Sections are depicted by this symbol Data elements are depicted using a 3-dimensional box with shadow

Using the Graphical Representation A compound element is group of data elements or other compound elements. Compound Element The form for the definition of a compound element is: Compound element name -- definition. Type: compound An example of a definition of a compound element is: Description - characterization of the data set, including its intended use and limitations Type: compound

Data Element A data element is a logically primitive item of data. Data elements are the things that you “fill in.” The form for the definition of a data element is: Data element name -- definition. Type: (choice of “integer”, “real”, “text”, “date”, or “time”) Domain: (describes valid values that can be assigned) An example of the definition of a data element is: Abstract – a brief narrative of the data set. Type: text Domain: free text Using the Graphical Representation

Mandatory if Applicable - must be provided if the data set exhibits the defined characteristic. Optional - provided at the discretion of the data set producer. Mandatory - must be provided. Using the Graphical Representation What’s Mandatory? What’s Not? Compound Element

Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata Mandatory Legend Identification Information Data Quality Information Spatial Data Organization Information Spatial Reference Information Entity and Attribute Information Metadata Reference Information Distribution Information Metadata Mandatory If Applicable

MM / AO Section 8 Citation InformationTime Period Information Section 9Section 10 Contact Information

Exercise 1: Getting Familiar with the CSDGM