Metadata forData Understandability

Ted HabermannNOAA National Geophysical Data Center

Ted.Habermann@noaa.govAGU, Spring 2008

Mandatory Responsibilities for an Archive1. Negotiate with Producers.2. Obtain control of the information.3. Define Designated Community.4. Ensure that the information to be preserved is

Independently Understandable to the Designated Community. In other words, the community should be able to understand the information without needing the assistance of the experts who produced the information.

5. Document preservation policies and procedures.

6. Make information available.

CCSDS Open Archival Information System Reference Model (now an ISO Standard)

Role of Documentation

WWW - 1990's

Discovery

Understanding

Discovery

Understanding

Discovery

Understanding

Before 2000's

Role of Metadata

Metadata Gap

ID Q SO SR E/A D M0

100

200

300

400

500

600

# M

eta

data MetadataGap

FGDC with Remote Sensing Extensions

Spatial Reference

DistributionInformation

Metadata ReferenceInformation

Metadata

Base Standard

IdentificationInformation

Data Quality

Spatial DataOrganization

Entity & Attribute

Information

RSE Standard

InstrumentInformation

Mission &Platform

Information

RSE RSE

RSERSERSE

Question #1

New Standard Emerges:

What is the minimum that I need to do to conform to this standard?

What is the most that this standard can do for me?

Essentially a yes/no answer, a list of metadata elements.

Depends on 1) understanding of the standard and 2) ingenuity..

Metadata Team

Data Provider

Direct Users

MetadataManager

DesignatedCommunity

(ArchiveUsers)

Partnership DataManager

Archive

High quality metadata involves active partnerships between many team members.

Partnership

Lamont Multibeam Data at NGDC:Identifying Scientific Papers & Cruise

References to Scientific Papers

Cruise = Platform & Mission

Lamont Multibeam Data at NGDC:Survey Parameters

Detailed Entity and Attributeinformation aboutMultibeam Bathymetry,Multibeam Amplitude, Multibeam Sidescan

Lamont Multibeam Data at NGDC:Instrumentation Information

Metadata section that describesinstrumentation.

DART Data at NGDC:Instrumentation Information

Metadata section that describesinstrumentation.

Atmospheric Pathfinder at CLASS:Mission History

Metadata for platforms and mission

Generating ISO Metadata

RichInventory

MADIS TrackingNMMR

Existing Quality Resources

Existing Metadata Resources

ISO Generator

ISOMetadata

RESTViews

Existing quality resources are queried using a web service (REST) for the “beef” of the quality report. The “bun” is provided from views into existing FGDC or new ISO sources. These two are combined into a complete ISO report.

The “Beef”

The “Bun”

Metadata for UnderstandabilityRequires an Active Partnership

Data Provider

Direct Users

MetadataManager

DesignatedCommunity

PartnershipData

Manager

Archive

Partnership

Data Providers

+ Archives

+ Users

= Understandability

More Information

More Examples http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/metadata/published

ISO Ideas: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/presentations

ted.habermann@noaa.gov