What is Metadata

Tutorials on Data ManagementLesson 7: What is Metadata

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What is Metadata

• Working with data• Defining metadata• Examining the various types of information included in a

metadata record• Examples of metadata standards

Lesson Topics

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What is Metadata

After completing this lesson, the participant will be able to: • Define metadata• Give examples of metadata in the real world• Identify and list the types of information included in a

metadata record• Name at least 3 different metadata standards

Learning Objectives

What is Metadata

The Data Life CyclePlan

Collect

Assure

Describe

Preserve

Discover

Integrate

Analyze

What is Metadata

Data Collection

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What is Metadata

Average Temperature of Observation for Each Species

From Field Notes to Datasets

Species Average Temperature

Temperature Standard Deviation

Number of Observations

Minimum Temperature

Maximum Temperature

Northern Red-legged Frog

4.4 --- 1 4.4 4.4

Tailed Frog 7.0 3.0 3 4 10

Arizona Toad 10.0 --- 1 10 10

Strecker's Chorus Frog

10.5 2.0 11 9 16

Oregon Spotted Frog

11.0 15.5 2 0 22

New Jersey Chorus Frog

11.5 4.5 17 3 22

Wood Frog 12.5 5.5 897 0 28.8

Spring Peeper 13.2 5.6 569 -1 32

Red-legged Frog 13.3 5.9 16 4 27

What is Metadata

From Datasets to Published Papers

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What is Metadata

• Definition: A collection of data• Generally datasets can be defined as: o Spatial – a collection of logically related features arranged in a

prescribed manner such as GIS map layers, water features, etco Tabular – a file, spreadsheet, data in a tableo Many tabular datasets are inherently “spatial”, e.g. water-quality

samples associated with stream collection sites

• Elements in a dataset can include:o Values, measures, points, coordinates, conditions, qualities,

frequencies, or attributes that are a result of an observational study

What is a Dataset?

What is Metadata

• When you provide data to someone else, what types of information would you want to include with the data?

• When you receive a dataset from an external source, what types of details do you want to know about the data?

Working with Data

What is Metadata

• Providing data: o Why were the data created? o What limitations, if any, do the data have? o What does the data mean? o How should the data be cited if it is re-used in a new study?

• Receiving data:o What are the data gaps?o What processes were used for creating the data?o Are there any fees associated with the data?o In what scale were the data created? o What do the values in the tables mean?o What software do I need in order to read the data?o What projection are the data in?o Can I give these data to someone else?

Working with Data

What is Metadata

Metadata is: Data ‘reporting’

• WHO created the data?• WHAT is the content of the data?• WHEN were the data created?• WHERE is it geographically?• HOW were the data developed?• WHY were the data developed?

What is Metadata?

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What is Metadata

• Metadata is all around…

Metadata in Real Life

Author(s) Boullosa, Carmen. Title(s) They're cows, we're pigs / by Carmen Boullosa Place New York : Grove Press, 1997. Physical Descr viii, 180 p ; 22 cm. Subject(s) Pirates Caribbean Area Fiction. Format Fiction

Author(s) Boullosa, Carmen. Title(s) They're cows, we're pigs / by Carmen Boullosa Place New York : Grove Press, 1997. Physical Descr viii, 180 p ; 22 cm. Subject(s) Pirates Caribbean Area Fiction. Format Fiction

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What is Metadata

• A Standard provides a structure to describe data with:o Common terms to allow consistency between recordso Common definitions for easier interpretationo Common language for ease of communicationo Common structure to quickly locate information

• In search and retrieval, standards provide:o Documentation structure in a reliable and predictable format for

computer interpretationo A uniform summary description of the dataset

What is a Metadata Standard?

What is Metadata

What Does a Metadata Record Look Like?

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What is Metadata

• Dublin Core Element Seto Emphasis on web resources, publications

• FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM)o Emphasis on geospatial datao Biological Data Profile (BDP) of the CSDGMo Profile to the CSDGM emphasis on biological data (and geospatial)

• ISO 19115/19139 Geographic information: Metadatao Emphasis on geospatial data and services

• Ecological Metadata Language (EML)o Focus on ecological data

• Darwin Coreo Emphasis on museum specimens

• Geography Markup Language (GML)o Emphasis on geographic features (roads, highways, bridges)

Multiple Metadata Standards Exist: Examples

What is Metadata

• Metadata is documentation of data• A metadata record captures critical information about a

dataset• Metadata allows data to be discovered, accessed, and re-

used• A metadata standard provides structure and consistency to

data documentation

Summary

What is Metadata

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