Metadata Understanding the Value and Importance of Proper Data Documentation

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1 Understanding the Value and Importance of Proper Data Documentation The Virginia Creators Workshop John McGee The Virginia Geospatial Extension Program James Wilson Old Dominion University (757) Lyle Hornbaker VGIN (804) Acknowledgements This workshop circuit is funded through an FGDC 2006 CAP grant We shamelessly borrowed and incorporated existing metadata training material from the FGDC, the USGS, and the NOAA Coastal Services Center. First the important stuff Make sure that you are legally parked! Lunch is being provided, thanks to the workshop sponsor. You are on your own for breaks (sorry!) The rest rooms are located down the hall. 1

2 Help us to educate YOU! This should be an INTERACTIVE workshop PLEASE feel free to ask questions, provide comments, give suggestions, and offer real world experiences along the way (don t wait until the end!!!) Workshop Overview This workshop is designed for individuals who are new to metadata. It will provide you with the information you need to make decisions associated with metadata implementation in your organization. Workshop Topics Section 1: What is Section 2: The Value of and Tips for Institutionalizing Section 3: Standards Section 4: Clearinghouses Section 5: Writing 2

3 What is? How many times have you received data from someone, and had questions about it? Attribution Projection / coordinate system Scale Accuracy Completeness Setting the Stage When referring to metadata, we assume the metadata is well-written and fully developed. Geospatial Refers to any data set tied to a location on the Earth s surface. The term geospatial refers to GIS, GPS, and remote sensing products and services. 3

4 What is? Simply put, metadata is information about your data. Note: is not your actual spatial data however, it serves as a reference for your spatial data This is the metadata for this. John Cole What s Missing? This is the metadata for this. What s missing? 4

5 This is the metadata for this. 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. While the card-catalog entry is a form of metadata, it does not address topics such as quality, accuracy, or scale. What s missing? Well-written geospatial metadata describes these and many more aspects of the data. This is the metadata for this. What is NOT metadata is not the spatial data, but it is a vital component of the spatial data 5

6 What is NOT metadata is not sexy But remember that there are many critical things in life that are not sexy (i.e. seat belts, life jackets, fire escapes, archived data, etc.) What is NOT metadata is not BIG data (that would be megadata!) Properly documented data provides vital information to interested parties. 6

7 is that component of data which describes it. Wdth diameter of pipe in inches Water line data base Mat material of pipe Method Method of data capture Date1 Installation date of conduit Date2 Date that spatial data capture was made describes Characteristics of the data CONTENT CONDITION QUALITY can describe a variety of data. Data set GIS files Imagery Geospatial Databases GPS data Biological data In situ data Title Scale Source Content Location Publication Access 7

8 Because metadata provides vital information about a dataset, it should never be viewed or treated as a separate entity. Spatial Non-spatial or attributes Take Home Message is a critical and integral component of any complete data set. Summary You can share metadata with others, without sharing your spatial data assets can save you time (whether you are on the giving end or the receiving end ). has always been important, HOWEVER, metadata is increasingly vital as we share more data instantaneously (server-based solutions, etc.) Exercise Getting to Know Choose a metadata file Review the file and answer some basic (but important) questions! Gain some initial familiarity with a real metadata file 8