Value of Metadata

Tutorials on Data ManagementLesson 8: Value of Metadata

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Value of Metadata

• Illustrate the value of metadata to data users, data providers, and organizations

• Describe the utility of metadata for a variety of scenarios

Lesson Topics

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Value of Metadata

• After completing this lesson, the participant will be able to: o Identify 3 reasons metadata is of value to data users, data

developers, and organizationso List 3 uses for metadata, beyond discovery of data

Learning Objectives

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Value of Metadata

The Data Life CyclePlan

Collect

Assure

Describe

Preserve

Discover

Integrate

Analyze

Value of Metadata

Metadata Has Value to ALL

Data developers

Datausers

Organizations

Metadatahelps…

Value of Metadata

• Metadata allows data developers to:o Avoid data duplication o Share reliable informationo Publicize efforts – promote the work of a scientist

and his/her contributions to a field of study

What is the Value to Data Developers?

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Value of Metadata

• Metadata gives a user the ability to:o Search, retrieve, and evaluate data set information from both inside

and outside an organizationo Find data: Determine what data exists for a geographic location

and/or topico Determine applicability: Decide if a data set meets a particular needo Discover how to acquire the dataset you identified; process and use

the dataset

What is the Value to Data Users?

Value of Metadata

• Metadata helps ensure an organization’s investment in data: o Documentation of data processing steps, quality control, definitions,

data uses, and restrictionso Ability to use data after initial intended purpose

• Transcends people and time: o Offers data permanenceo Creates institutional memory

• Advertises an organization’s research: o Creates possible new partnerships and collaborations through data

sharing

What is the value to Organizations?

Value of Metadata

Information EntropyD

ATA

DE

TAIL

STime of data development

Specific details about problems with individual items or specific dates are lost relatively rapidly

General details about datasets are lost through time

Accident or technology change may make data unusable

Retirement or career change makes access to “mental storage” difficult or unlikely

Loss of data developer leads to loss of remaining information

TIME (From Michener et al 1997)

Value of Metadata

Information Entropy

TIME

DATA

D

ETA

ILS

Sound information management, including metadata development, can arrest the loss of dataset detail.

Value of Metadata

• Metadata can support:o data distributiono data managemento project management

• If it is:o considered a component of the datao created during data developmento populated with rich content

A Closer Look: The Utility of Metadata

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Value of Metadata

Data Distribution via Metadata

metadata publication

data

portals

data

discovery

Value of Metadata

• The descriptive content of the metadata file can be used to identify, assess, and access available data resources.

Distribution: Data Discovery

• online access• order process• contacts

ACCESS

• use constraints• access constraints• data quality• availability/pricing

ASSESS

• keywords• geographic location• time period• attributes

IDENTIFY

Value of Metadata

• A metadata collection can be published to the Internet via:owebsite catalogoweb accessible folder (waf)o Z39.50 metadata clearinghouseometadata serviceo geospatial data portal

Distribution: Metadata Publication

Internet

Metadata CollectionUser Query

Internet /

Intranet

Dataset

Value of Metadata

• Examples of Federal and National Portals:oUSGS

• USGS Core Science Metadata Clearinghouse:

http://mercury.ornl.gov/clearinghouseoGeodata Portal

• Federal e-gov geospatial data portalhttp://www.geo.data.gov

oArcGIS Online• ESRI sponsored national geospatial data portalhttp://www.geographynetwork.com

oGeoConnections Discovery Portal (Canada)http://www.geoconnections.org/en/index.html

Distribution: Geospatial Data Portals

Value of Metadata

USGS Core Science Metadata Clearinghouse

Value of Metadata

Data Management via Metadata

DataAccountability

Discovery

& Re-use

Maintenance

& Update

DataLiability

Value of Metadata

• Data Maintenance:o Are the data current?

• Do we have data older than ten years?• was before some political or geophysical event that resulted in significant

change?o Are the data valid?

• prior to most current source data• prior to most current methodologies

• Data Update:o Contact informationo Distribution policies, availability, pricing, URLso New derivations of the dataset

Management: Maintenance and Update

Value of Metadata

• Metadata marketing in the past…

If you create metadata, other people can discover your data

• New and improved message…

If you create metadata,you can find your own data

Management: Data Discovery & Reuse

Value of Metadata

• Find your data by:o themes / attributeso geographic locationo time rangeso analytical methods usedo sources and contributorso data quality

Discoverable data is usable data!

Management: Data Discovery & Reuse

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Value of Metadata

• Metadata is an exercise in data accountability. It requires you to assess:o What do you know about the dataset?o What don’t you know about the dataset?o What should you know about the dataset?

Are you willing to associate yourself with the metadata record ?

Management: Data Accountability

Value of Metadata

• Metadata allows you to repeat scientific process if:o methodologies are definedo variables are definedo analytical parameters are defined

• Metadata allows you to defend your scientific process:o demonstrate process o increasingly GIS-savvy public

requires metadata for consumer information

Management: Data Accountability

INPUT

RESULTS

Value of Metadata

• Metadata is a declaration of:Purposeo the originator’s intended application of

the dataUse Constraintso inappropriate applications of the dataCompletenesso features or geographies excluded from the dataDistribution Liabilityo explicit liability of the data producer and assumed liability

of the consumer

Management: Data Liability

What to do.

What not to do…

Value of Metadata

Project Management via Metadata

Project Monitoring

Project Coordination

Project

Planning

Contract Deliverables

Value of Metadata

• Metadata records can serve as a project design document:odescriptions & intent of projecto geographic and temporal extent of projecto source data of projecto attribute requirements of project

• Benefits:o expectations are clearly outlinedometadata is integrated into the processoprovides a medium to record progress

Project Management: Project Planning

Value of Metadata

• Use metadata to monitor:o data development statuso QA/QC assessmentso needed changes in approach

Monitoring requires that the metadata be actively maintained and reviewed!

Project Management: Project Monitoring

timemilestones

Value of Metadata

• Metadata can be a means to improve communications among project participantso descriptions & parameterso keywords, vocabularies, thesaurio contact informationo attributeso distribution information

• If reviewed regularly by all participants, metadata created early and updated during the project improves opportunity for coordinating:o source datao analytical methodso new information

Project Management: Project Coordination

Value of Metadata

• As a key component of the data, metadata should be part of any data deliverable

• For quality metadata from a deliverable, the record should provide:

oCitation informationoData quailty informationoAccurate geospatial informationo Entities and attributes clearly defined oDistribution information

Project Management: Contract Deliverables

Value of Metadata

• Metadata is of critical importance to data developers, data users, and organizations

• Metadata can be effectively used for:odata distributionoData managementoProject management

• Metadata completes a dataset.

Creating robust metadata is in your OWN best interest!

Summary

Value of Metadata

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