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A Handbook of Guidelines on Metadata Usage. Jon Mason Metadata Downunder – Metadata, Semantics and Interoperability in Practice Sydney, May 22 nd 2008. Overview. Background & Context Why it was developed Who for Environmental drivers Current Status What Next?. Who for & Why.
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A Handbook of Guidelines on Metadata Usage Jon Mason Metadata Downunder – Metadata, Semantics and Interoperability in PracticeSydney, May 22nd 2008
Overview • Background & Context • Why it was developed • Who for • Environmental drivers • Current Status • What Next?
Who for & Why Audience: • Education & Training sector in Australia & New Zealand • Non-expert users of metadata • Anyone with an interest! Why: • To de-mystify metadata • To better inform intending practitioners • To provide a snapshot of relevant activities associated with metadata to broad mix of stakeholders • To raise awareness of the role of Standards Australia • To strengthen links between Standards Australia & AICTEC
Context “In network space metadata will be associated with everything that moves …supporting multiple operations” • Multiple types of Information Objects • Collections • Services • People • Organizations • Places • Terms • Formats • Rights Source: Lorcan Dempsey NISO Workshop: Metadata Practices on the Cutting Edge Washington, May 20 2004
Context Web Services Addressing Metadata Becomes a W3C Proposed Recommendation July 31, 2007.Members of the W3C Web Services Addressing Working Group have released the "Web Services Addressing 1.0 - Metadata" specification as a Proposed Recommendation. Public comment is invited through 30-August-2007 Source: http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/PR-ws-addr-metadata-20070731
Once Upon a Time • Ten years ago … – EdNA a national approach to IT infrastructure development – EdNA Metadata “Standard” (1997-1998) extends Dublin Core – Dublin Core Education WG produces draft Application Profile – IEEE LTSC – LOM draft – IMS Meta-Data Specification (1998) • Five Years ago – LOM is standardised (IEEE 1484.12.1-2002) – DC Element Set standardised (ISO 15836-2003) – SCORM begins to gain significant acceptance – The Ottawa Communiqué (Intent to Collaborate)
Key Initiatives • 2002: The Learning Federation Metadata Specification – Application Profile (mixed namespaces) – Updated a number of times (currently at v2.2) • 2003: Higher Education sector – Activities begin focusing on research repositories – Grid projects beginning • 2003: Where to for EdNA? – Formal review initiated by AICTEC Standards Committee • 2004: VET sector – Activity focused on Learning Objects
Key Initiatives • 2004: Need for Broad Guidelines grows – Discussed in AICTEC Standards & Interoperability Committee, but funding not available – Taken forward within IT-19-1 (Debbie Campbell & Jon Mason sketch out requirements) • 2005: VETADATA as an Australian SCORM profile – Supporting Repositories of Learning Objects • 2005: AICTEC considers ‘common application profile’ – Working Group formed to identify ‘common approach’
Getting Serious • IDEA Metadata Workshop – Melbourne (Feb 2005) • Educause Conference – Auckland (April 2005) • DC-ANZ Workshop – Melbourne (June 2005) • Combined IT-19-1 & AICTEC Metadata Working Group Workshop at USQ (April 2006) • Content from wiki that developed outputs from above
Getting Serious February 2007: Funding!
HB 256 The Handbook Contents 1.SCOPE 2.INTRODUCTION TO METADATA 2.1 DEFINING METADATA 2.2 VARIETES OF METADATA 2.2.1 OVERVIEW 2.2.2 GENERAL & SPECIALIST METADATA 2.2.3 MINIMALIST & RICH METADATA 2.2.4 HIERARCHICAL & FLAT STRUCTURES 2.2.5 MACHINE GENERATED & HUMAN AUTHORED METADATA 2.2.6 STRUCTURED & UNSTRUCTURED METADATA 2.2.7 EMBEDDED & DETACHED METADATA 2.3 SPECIFIC METADATA TYPES 2.3.1 ADMINISTRATIVE 2.3.2 DESCRIPTIVE 2.3.3 TECHNICAL 2.3.4 PRESERVATION 2.3.5 ACCESSIBILITY 2.3.6 STRUCTURAL 2.3.7 PEOPLE 2.4 FUNCTIONS AND USES 2.4.1 DISCOVERY 2.4.2 IDENTIFICATION 2.4.3 ASSOCIATION 2.4.4 SELECTION 2.4.5 MANAGEMENT 2.4.6 PRESERVATION 2.4.7 RIGHTS MANAGEMENT 2.4.8 EXCHANGE 2.4.9 AGGREGATION 2.5 FOLKSONOMIES 2.6 LOOKING MORE BROADLY 2.7 WHY USE METADATA? WHY NOT?
The Handbook Contents 5. DEVELOPING A NEW METADATA SCHEMA 5.1 INTRODUCTION 5.2 DEVELOPING AN APPLICATION PROFILE 5.3 VOCABULARIES, CLASSIFICATION AND TAXONOMIES 5.3.1 TYPES 5.3.2 GENERAL 5.3.3 UNCONTROLLED VOCABULARIES 5.3.4 CONTROLLED VOCABULARIES 5.3.5 FOLKSONOMIES 5.3.6 TAXONOMIES 5.3.7 THESAURI 5.3.8 ONTOLOGIES 5.3.9 TOPIC MAPS 5.3.10 MULTI-LINGUAL VOCABULARIES 5.4 BINDINGS 5.5 HARVESTING & FEDERATED SEARCHING 3. IDENTIFYING BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS 3.1 PRINCIPLES 3.2 INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS 3.3 THINKING ABOUT OUTCOMES 3.4 DESIGNING A SYSTEM 3.5 AUDIENCE 3.6 SCOPING REQUIREMENTS 3.7 DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION 3.8 KEY FUNCTIONS TO CONSIDER 3.9 GENERAL 3.10 IDENTIFICATION 3.11 DESCRIPTION 3.12 MANAGEMENT 3.13 DELIVERY 3.14 EXCHANGE 3.15 PRESERVATION 4. METADATA SCHEMAS 4.1 INTRODUCTION 4.2 APPLICATION PROFILES
The Handbook Contents 6 METADATA TOOLS 6.1 INTRODUCTION 6.2 TYPES OF TOOLS 6.2.1 CREATION TOOLS 6.2.2 CROSSWALK TOOLS 6.2.3 HARVESTING TOOLS 6.2.4 REPOSITORIES 7 METADATA SKILLS 7.1 BASICS 7.2 VOCABULARIES, CLASSIFICATION AND TAXONOMIES 7.3 TECHNICAL METADATA SKILLS 7.4 TECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE 7.5 TECHNICAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE 7.6 SOURCES OF TRAINING APPENDIX A – USE CASES APPENDIX B – ACRONYMS APPENDIX C – GLOSSARY OF TERMS APPENDIX D – REFERENCES APPENDIX E – COMMONLY USED SCHEMAS APPENDIX F – AUSTRALASIAN CLASSIFICATIONS & VOCABULARIES APPENDIX G – MONITORING DEVELOPMENTS
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Current Metadata Status • A number of prominent standards • DC, LOM, MARCXML, MODS, … • Proliferation of application profiles • SCORM, VETADATA, NZ ESAF, APSR-METS • A range of controlled vocabularies • Interoperability achieved at low level • Minimum number of elements common across profiles • Guidelines and best practice documentation available • Mainly sector specific
Current Metadata Status • Impact of Web 2.0 • Informal metadata – user tagging • Folksonomies • Many pathways to aggregation & syndication of content • Ongoing challenges for achieving interoperability
What Next? • Widespread usage • Feedback gathered for next edition • Changes in external environment monitored • Next Edition! • A re-think?
Concluding Comments • One person’s metadata is another’s data! • A multiplicity of metadata standards and application profiles developed for different business requirements • Publication of the Handbook • Obtainable for free as a PDF • Represents significant milestone • Establishes precedent for ongoing collaboration between AICTEC & Standards Australia
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