IFLA Section of Geography and Map Libraries

	IFLA Section of Geography and Map Libraries
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Title

Digital Map Librarianship: Metadata Notes

Notes
(1) In note 10 to its report Preserving digital information the Task Force notes: "Metadata, which refers to information about information, is sometimes used as a generic term for systems of reference. We avoid use of the term in this report because it conveys a tone of jargon and because its use in the literature is varied and imprecise. In its report on Preserving Scientific Data on Our Physical Universe (1995), for example, the National Research Council uses the term to include any and all documentation that serves to define and describe a particular scientific database. Other uses of the phrase elsewhere in the literature are closer to the more limited sense of referential systems that we use here to mean systems of citation, description and classification. The preference for the term metadata in those other cases appears to flow from the felt need to emphasize the special referential features needed in the digital environment and to distinguish those special features from those of more traditional systems of citation, description and classification"
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(2) Project BIBLINK was launched on 1st April 1996 with funding from the European Commission’s Telematics Applications Programme. It aims to establish a relationship between national bibliographic agencies and publishers of electronic material, in order to establish authoritative bibliographic information that will benefit both sectors.
The concept crystallised from the work of an EU concerted action known as CoBRA. This forum recognised that the significant growth in electronic publishing raised issues that needed to be addressed at an international level. Project BIBLINK will call upon the bibliographic expertise of the national libraries of Europe, working in conjunction with partners in the book industry, to examine the way in which electronic publications are described for catalogues and other listings.
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(3). The Dublin Metadata workshop of March 1995 and the Warwick Metadata Workshop of April 1996 were convened to promote the development of consensus concerning network resource description across a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including the computer science community, text markup, and librarians.
The result of the first workshop -- the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set -- represents a simple resource description record that has the potential to provide a foundation for electronic bibliographic description that may improve structured access to information on the Internet and promote interoperability among disparate description models. It's major significance, however, lies not so much in the precise character of the elements themselves, but rather in the consensus that was achieved across the many disciplines represented at the workshop.
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(4). This paper reviews the discussions held at the OCLC/NCSA Metadata Workshop in Dublin, Ohio in March about core data elements for discovery and retrieval of Internet resources ("metadata") by a diverse group of Internet users. The data elements as defined by the participants at the Workshop are listed with possible equivalents in USMARC. Problems in mapping are reviewed and options for solutions are suggested.
Back to document
(5). MOELLERING, Harold (ed.)(1997). Spatial database transfer standards 2: characteristics for assessing standards and full descriptions of the national and international standards in the world. 384 p. ISBN 0-08-042433-3, NLG 295 / US $ 182.
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(6).The following standards are available orin development.
National standards:

Australia & New Zealand: Core metadata elements for land and geographic directories in Australia and New Zealand / The Australia New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC).

Canada: Directory information describing digital geo-referenced data sets (DIDD) / Canadian General Standards Board.

Finland: Paikkatietohakemisto (Metadata service specification).

Russia: Metadata of digital terrain models and electronic maps (MDTMEM).

International standards:

CEN TC287: Geographic Information - Data description - Metadata. Draft V2 - for 2nd informal vote by WG 2, January 1996.
CERCO/MEGRIN: GDDD - Geographical Data Description Directory.

IHO: S57, version 3.
ISO / TC 211: draft ISO 15046-15 Geographic information - Metadata - Version 2.0; ISO/TC 211/WG 3; 1997-01-20; 115 pages.

NATO DGIWG/DIGEST: N469 Geographic Information - Data description - Metadata.

Most European countries participate in CEN [European Committee for Standardisation] TC 287 and do not create national standards as they are obliged to accept the CEN standards, which will probably be effective from 1997 onwards.
Most countries cited above together with members of CEN TC 287 participate in ISO / TC 211 of which the standards probably will become available in 1997.
Back to document
(7). Part of an edited metadata description of the electronic map Ecoregion, original derived from http://www.blm.gov/gis/nsdi.htm:

6. Data Content (Entity and Attribute Information):
    Detailed Description:
        Entity Type:
             Entity Type label: ECOREGION.PAT
             Entity Type Definition: Polygon attribute table
             Number of Attributes in Entity: 11
             Attribute:
                 Attribute Label: AREA
                 Attribute Definition: Area of polygon in square coverage units
                 Attribute Definition Source: Computed
                 Attribute Domain Values: Positive real numbers
             Attribute:
                 Attribute Label: PERIMETER
                 Attribute Definition: Perimeter of polygon in coverage units
                 Attribute Definition Source: Computed
                 Attribute Domain Values: Positive real numbers
Etc., etc., .......
7. Data Quality Information:
    Logical Consistency Report:
        Polygon topology present.
    Completeness Report:
        (See Supplemental Information)
    Positional Accuracy:
        Horizontal Positional Accuracy: See Supplemental Information)
        Vertical Positional Accuracy: See Supplemental Information)
    Lineage:
        See Supplemental Information for overview.
        Process Step:
             Process Description:
                 Rev. 1.0 Installed from.ARCE tape.
                 Process Date: 09/28/91
        Process Step:
             Process Description:
                 Rev. 1.1 Converted to Data General workstation.
                 Item redefinitions revised and documentation added.
                 Process Date: 12/17/91

8. Spatial Data Organization Information:
    Direct Spatial Reference Method:
        Vector
             Point and Vector Object Information:
                 SDTS Terms Description:
                    SDTS Point and Vector Object Type: Point
                         Point and Vector Object Count: 3732
                    SDTS Point and Vector Object Type: String
                         Point and Vector Object Count: 8064
                    SDTS Point and Vector Object Type: GT-polygon composed of chains
                         Point and Vector Object Count: 3733

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(8). In line with developments elsewhere the FGDC decided to start creating a Base DTD, which makes a format available for geospatial metadata which can be used to encode the metadata. Unlike MARC formats the DTD [Document type definition] uses verbal terms instead of alphanumerical codes. A disadvantage is that the terms have to be translated in other languages in order to be understandable. We have to wait and see how metadata search engines will react on a multilingual DTD. An advantage is that new terms can be added easier since there is no seemingly hierarchy as is the case with MARC-formats.
Back to document
(9). "Geospatial" data are defined as data that identify the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features and boundaries on the earth. This information may be derived from, among other things, remote sensing, mapping, and surveying technologies (Clinton, 1994). The NSDI seems first to aim at high-resolution basedata and in a future phase will include also socio-economic statistical georeferenced data.
Back to document
(10) The Clearinghouse Activity, sponsored by the FGDC, is a decentralized system of servers located on the Internet which contain field-level descriptions of available digital spatial data. This descriptive information, known as metadata, are collected in a standard format to facilitate query and consistent presentation across multiple participating sites. Clearinghouse uses readily available Web technology for the client side and uses the ANSI standard Z39.50 for the query, search, and presentation of search results to the Web client.
A fundamental goal of Clearinghouse is to provide access to digital spatial data through metadata. The Clearinghouse functions as a detailed catalog service with support for links to spatial data and browse graphics. Clearinghouse sites are encouraged to provide hypertext linkages within their metadata entries that enable users to directly download the digital data set in one or more formats. Where digital data are too large to be made available through the Internet or the data products are made available for sale, linkage to an order form can be provided in lieu of a data set. Through this model, Clearinghouse metadata provides low-cost advertising for providers of spatial data, both non-commerical and commercial, to potential customers via the Internet.
Clearinghouse allows individual agencies, consortia, or geographically- defined communities to band together and promote their available digital spatial data. Servers may be installed at local, regional, or central offices, dictated by the organizational and logistical efficiencies of each organization. All Clearinghouse servers are considered "peers" within the Clearinghouse activity -- there is no hierarchy among the servers -- permitting direct query by any user on the Internet with minimum transactional processing.
(from: Making your spatial data discoverable: building an NSDI Clearinghouse Node : a tutorial on creating, validating, and serving geospatial metadata)
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(11). CHEST, the Combined Higher Education Software Team, acts as a focal point for the supply of software, data, information, training materials and other IT related products to the Higher and Further Education sectors. It is a not-for-profit organisation within, and part of, UK Higher Education, with its headquarters at the University of Bath. Although CHEST is now substantially self funding, it is strongly supported by the Department for Education and Employment through the joint committee of its funding councils. It is advised by the CHEST Policy Group.
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Literature

Dempsey, Lorcan, and Rachel Heery (1997). A review of metadata: a survey of current resource description formats. (DESIRE - RE 1004)
Dempsey, Lorcan, and Stuart Weibel (1996). The Warwick Metadata Workshop: a framework for the deployment of resource description.
European Commission (1995). Towards a[n] European Geographic Information Infrastructure (EGII).
Federal Geographic Data Committee (1994). Content standards for digital spatial metadata (June 8 draft).
Heery, Rachel (1996). BIBLINK - LB 4034, D1.1 Metadata Formats
McKee, Lance (1996). Building the GSDI.
Mapping the Dublin Core Metadata Elements to USMARC (1995).
Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information (1996). Preserving digital information
Tosta, Nancy (1994?). Data Policies and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure.
Weibel, Stuart (1996). A Proposed Convention for Embedding Metadata in HTML.

Suggested Citation
Smits, Jan, "The creation and integration of metadata in spatial data collections." Digital Map Librarianship: a working syllabus, 63rd IFLA Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark. (18, Aug. 1997) <http://magic.lib.uconn.edu/ifla/meta-notes.htm>

Jan Smits
Koninklijke Bibliotheek
The Hague
jan.smits@konbib.nl

Title	Digital Map Librarianship: Metadata Notes
Notes	(1) In note 10 to its report Preserving digital information the Task Force notes: "Metadata, which refers to information about information, is sometimes used as a generic term for systems of reference. We avoid use of the term in this report because it conveys a tone of jargon and because its use in the literature is varied and imprecise. In its report on Preserving Scientific Data on Our Physical Universe (1995), for example, the National Research Council uses the term to include any and all documentation that serves to define and describe a particular scientific database. Other uses of the phrase elsewhere in the literature are closer to the more limited sense of referential systems that we use here to mean systems of citation, description and classification. The preference for the term metadata in those other cases appears to flow from the felt need to emphasize the special referential features needed in the digital environment and to distinguish those special features from those of more traditional systems of citation, description and classification" Back to document (2) Project BIBLINK was launched on 1st April 1996 with funding from the European Commission’s Telematics Applications Programme. It aims to establish a relationship between national bibliographic agencies and publishers of electronic material, in order to establish authoritative bibliographic information that will benefit both sectors. The concept crystallised from the work of an EU concerted action known as CoBRA. This forum recognised that the significant growth in electronic publishing raised issues that needed to be addressed at an international level. Project BIBLINK will call upon the bibliographic expertise of the national libraries of Europe, working in conjunction with partners in the book industry, to examine the way in which electronic publications are described for catalogues and other listings. Back to document (3). The Dublin Metadata workshop of March 1995 and the Warwick Metadata Workshop of April 1996 were convened to promote the development of consensus concerning network resource description across a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including the computer science community, text markup, and librarians. The result of the first workshop -- the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set -- represents a simple resource description record that has the potential to provide a foundation for electronic bibliographic description that may improve structured access to information on the Internet and promote interoperability among disparate description models. It's major significance, however, lies not so much in the precise character of the elements themselves, but rather in the consensus that was achieved across the many disciplines represented at the workshop. Back to document (4). This paper reviews the discussions held at the OCLC/NCSA Metadata Workshop in Dublin, Ohio in March about core data elements for discovery and retrieval of Internet resources ("metadata") by a diverse group of Internet users. The data elements as defined by the participants at the Workshop are listed with possible equivalents in USMARC. Problems in mapping are reviewed and options for solutions are suggested. Back to document (5). MOELLERING, Harold (ed.)(1997). Spatial database transfer standards 2: characteristics for assessing standards and full descriptions of the national and international standards in the world. 384 p. ISBN 0-08-042433-3, NLG 295 / US $ 182. Back to document (6).The following standards are available orin development. National standards: Australia & New Zealand: Core metadata elements for land and geographic directories in Australia and New Zealand / The Australia New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC). Canada: Directory information describing digital geo-referenced data sets (DIDD) / Canadian General Standards Board. Finland: Paikkatietohakemisto (Metadata service specification). Russia: Metadata of digital terrain models and electronic maps (MDTMEM). International standards: CEN TC287: Geographic Information - Data description - Metadata. Draft V2 - for 2nd informal vote by WG 2, January 1996. CERCO/MEGRIN: GDDD - Geographical Data Description Directory. IHO: S57, version 3. ISO / TC 211: draft ISO 15046-15 Geographic information - Metadata - Version 2.0; ISO/TC 211/WG 3; 1997-01-20; 115 pages. NATO DGIWG/DIGEST: N469 Geographic Information - Data description - Metadata. Most European countries participate in CEN [European Committee for Standardisation] TC 287 and do not create national standards as they are obliged to accept the CEN standards, which will probably be effective from 1997 onwards. Most countries cited above together with members of CEN TC 287 participate in ISO / TC 211 of which the standards probably will become available in 1997. Back to document (7). Part of an edited metadata description of the electronic map Ecoregion, original derived from http://www.blm.gov/gis/nsdi.htm: *6. Data Content (Entity and Attribute Information): Detailed Description: Entity Type: Entity Type label: ECOREGION.PAT Entity Type Definition: Polygon attribute table Number of Attributes in Entity: 11 Attribute: Attribute Label: AREA Attribute Definition: Area of polygon in square coverage units Attribute Definition Source: Computed Attribute Domain Values: Positive real numbers Attribute: Attribute Label: PERIMETER Attribute Definition: Perimeter of polygon in coverage units Attribute Definition Source: Computed Attribute Domain Values: Positive real numbers Etc., etc., ....... 7. Data Quality Information: Logical Consistency Report: Polygon topology present. Completeness Report: (See Supplemental Information) Positional Accuracy: Horizontal Positional Accuracy: See Supplemental Information) Vertical Positional Accuracy: See Supplemental Information) Lineage: See Supplemental Information for overview. Process Step: Process Description: Rev. 1.0 Installed from.ARCE tape. Process Date: 09/28/91 Process Step: Process Description: Rev. 1.1 Converted to Data General workstation. Item redefinitions revised and documentation added. Process Date: 12/17/91 8. Spatial Data Organization Information*: Direct Spatial Reference Method: Vector Point and Vector Object Information: SDTS Terms Description: SDTS Point and Vector Object Type: Point Point and Vector Object Count: 3732 SDTS Point and Vector Object Type: String Point and Vector Object Count: 8064 SDTS Point and Vector Object Type: GT-polygon composed of chains Point and Vector Object Count: 3733 Back to document (8). In line with developments elsewhere the FGDC decided to start creating a Base DTD, which makes a format available for geospatial metadata which can be used to encode the metadata. Unlike MARC formats the DTD [Document type definition] uses verbal terms instead of alphanumerical codes. A disadvantage is that the terms have to be translated in other languages in order to be understandable. We have to wait and see how metadata search engines will react on a multilingual DTD. An advantage is that new terms can be added easier since there is no seemingly hierarchy as is the case with MARC-formats. Back to document (9). "Geospatial" data are defined as data that identify the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features and boundaries on the earth. This information may be derived from, among other things, remote sensing, mapping, and surveying technologies (Clinton, 1994). The NSDI seems first to aim at high-resolution basedata and in a future phase will include also socio-economic statistical georeferenced data. Back to document (10) The Clearinghouse Activity, sponsored by the FGDC, is a decentralized system of servers located on the Internet which contain field-level descriptions of available digital spatial data. This descriptive information, known as metadata, are collected in a standard format to facilitate query and consistent presentation across multiple participating sites. Clearinghouse uses readily available Web technology for the client side and uses the ANSI standard Z39.50 for the query, search, and presentation of search results to the Web client. A fundamental goal of Clearinghouse is to provide access to digital spatial data through metadata. The Clearinghouse functions as a detailed catalog service with support for links to spatial data and browse graphics. Clearinghouse sites are encouraged to provide hypertext linkages within their metadata entries that enable users to directly download the digital data set in one or more formats. Where digital data are too large to be made available through the Internet or the data products are made available for sale, linkage to an order form can be provided in lieu of a data set. Through this model, Clearinghouse metadata provides low-cost advertising for providers of spatial data, both non-commerical and commercial, to potential customers via the Internet. Clearinghouse allows individual agencies, consortia, or geographically- defined communities to band together and promote their available digital spatial data. Servers may be installed at local, regional, or central offices, dictated by the organizational and logistical efficiencies of each organization. All Clearinghouse servers are considered "peers" within the Clearinghouse activity -- there is no hierarchy among the servers -- permitting direct query by any user on the Internet with minimum transactional processing. (from: Making your spatial data discoverable: building an NSDI Clearinghouse Node : a tutorial on creating, validating, and serving geospatial metadata) Back to document (11). CHEST, the Combined Higher Education Software Team, acts as a focal point for the supply of software, data, information, training materials and other IT related products to the Higher and Further Education sectors. It is a not-for-profit organisation within, and part of, UK Higher Education, with its headquarters at the University of Bath. Although CHEST is now substantially self funding, it is strongly supported by the Department for Education and Employment through the joint committee of its funding councils. It is advised by the CHEST Policy Group. Back to document
Literature	Dempsey, Lorcan, and Rachel Heery (1997). A review of metadata: a survey of current resource description formats. (DESIRE - RE 1004) Dempsey, Lorcan, and Stuart Weibel (1996). The Warwick Metadata Workshop: a framework for the deployment of resource description. European Commission (1995). Towards a[n] European Geographic Information Infrastructure (EGII). Federal Geographic Data Committee (1994). Content standards for digital spatial metadata (June 8 draft). Heery, Rachel (1996). BIBLINK - LB 4034, D1.1 Metadata Formats McKee, Lance (1996). Building the GSDI. Mapping the Dublin Core Metadata Elements to USMARC (1995). Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information (1996). Preserving digital information Tosta, Nancy (1994?). Data Policies and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. Weibel, Stuart (1996). A Proposed Convention for Embedding Metadata in HTML.
Suggested Citation	Smits, Jan, "The creation and integration of metadata in spatial data collections." Digital Map Librarianship: a working syllabus, 63rd IFLA Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark. (18, Aug. 1997) <http://magic.lib.uconn.edu/ifla/meta-notes.htm>