FGDC Metadata and the Biological Data Profile Anchorage, AK January 25, 2006

1. FGDC Metadata and the Biological Data Profile Anchorage, AK January 25, 2006

2. Metadata Workshop Topics • Metadata: what it is, why you need it, and how to write good metadata. • U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM) and the Biological Data Profile. • Implementation: decisions, challenges, and resources. • Tools and resources for metadata creation and management.

3. Trainer’s Goals • Everyone learn / meet your goals for the class • Experience that metadata isn’t that scary • Have fun!

4. Introduction: What are Metadata? • Definitions • Examples • Types of information included

5. In your own words – what does “metadata mean to you? Metadata are literally “data about data” - they describe the content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of the data. Introduction: What Are Metadata?

6. What are some everyday examples of “metadata”? Examples: food product labels, library records, information on a video or DVD, published maps, etc., etc., etc. Metadata in the Real World

7. Working With Data • 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 information do you want to know about the data?

8. Metadata describes the Who, What, Where, Why, and How • Who created and maintains the data? • Why were the data created? • What is the content and structure of the data? • When collected? When published? • Where is the geographic location? Storage location? • How were the data produced?

9. Mining Existing Resources • Metadata is not a new or alien concept. • We all have a strong history of documenting methodology, describing appropriate uses of the data, and writing summaries about data completeness and currentness. • What existing documentation (i.e. metadata) materials do you have in your program / office?

10. Examples of existing “data about data” materials: • Methodology documentation • Database help records • BASIS+ project/task entries • Data sharing and licensing agreements • Project agreement, documentation and reports • Data requests – data use guidelines

11. The Key Point: All of us have personal experience with creating metadata.

12. The Value of Metadata • Data developers • Data users • Organizations

13. Value to Data Developers? • Avoid duplication • Share reliable information • Publicize efforts • Reduce workload • Documenting data is critical to preserving its usefulness over time; without proper documentation, no data set is complete

14. Value to Data Users? • Search, retrieve, and evaluate data set information both inside and outside organizations • Finding data - determine which data exist for a geographic location and/or topic • Applicability - determine if a dataset meets your needs • Access and transfer - acquire the dataset you identified, process and use the dataset

15. Value to Organizations? • Organizes and maintains an organization’s investment in data • Documentation of data processing steps, quality control, definitions, data uses and restrictions, etc. • Transcends people and time; offers data permanence and creates institutional memory • Saves time, money, frustration

16. Value to Organizations? • “Advertising”: Provide information about datasets to data catalogs and clearinghouses • External data sharing and data transfer: Provide information that is critical for others to understand and correctly use your data • Helps share data with other agencies, lead to potential partnerships

17. Value to All: Data developers Data users Metadata helps… Organizations

18. What’s new about metadata (i.e. why are we here today)? Creating and managing metadata in a standardized format using a common set of terms.

19. Why Have a Metadata Standard?

20. Why Have a Standard? Helps you determine: • If a set of data is available and fit for your use • How to access and transfer the data set

21. Why Have a Standard? Helps to create: • Common terms • Common definitions • Common language • Common structure

22. Why Have a Standard? • Establishes names of metadata elements and compound elements • Defines information about values provided for metadata elements • The standard serves as a uniform summary description of the data set • Online systems rely on documentation being predictable in form and content

23. The Key to Using the Standard… • If you’re creating metadata for the first time, it may seem complex - stick with it • Don’t create your own version of the standard - you’ll only confuse people • Find the fields that are pertinent to your data and your organization’s needs • Build a template; use the template • Ask questions!

24. Establishment of U.S. Metadata Standards

25. Establishment of U.S. Metadata Standards Executive Order 12906 (1994) • Defines the responsibilities of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) • Requires that metadata be available to the public • Requires creation of metadata for data sets from 1995 forward

26. FGDC’s Responsibilities Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is responsible for coordinating: • development of National Spatial Data Infrastructure • establishment of National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse • development of standards • cooperative efforts with State, Local, and tribal governments, and private sector • implementation of digital geospatial data framework

27. Executive Order 12906 Federal Agencies responsible for: • standardized documentation of all new data collected or produced beginning in January 1995 • plans to document data previously collected or produced (legacy data) to the “extent practicable” • making metadata and data available to the public • utilize Clearinghouse to determine if data has already been collected or cooperative efforts are possible

28. FGDC Profiles and Extensions Extension: extended elements to the standard are elements outside the standard but needed by the data set producer Profile: document that describes the application of the Standard to a specific community Examples: Biological Data Profile, Shoreline Data Profile, Remote Sensing Extensions

29. Biological Data Profile:Defines Additional Elements • Taxonomy • Methodology • Analytical tools

30. Biological Data Profile:Documents three types of data sets • Explicitly biological • Biological and geospatial • Explicitly geospatial

31. National Research Council recommended in 1994 the establishment of a National Biotic Resource Information System to coordinate distributed databases and disseminate new data and information ~ NBII • NBII established a federation of biological information sources and tools to help users find biological information and to combine information from various sources. • NBII has a biological information focus, on both geospatial and non-geospatial data.

32. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Metadata Standard • ISO 19115 has been approved - an abstract standard that specifies general content for the metadata, but does not specify the format. • ISO 19139 is under development - XML implementation schema specifying the metadata record format. • The FGDC is developing metadata content for the U.S. National Profile of ISO 19139.

33. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Metadata Standard • ISO not yet the official U.S. metadata standard (important if need to provide FGDC-compliant metadata!). • Software tools under development. • Metadata created before the release of the ISO standard will not need to be altered. • Updates and more information: http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/whatsnew/fgdciso.html

34. Other Metadata Standards • Ecological Metadata Language (EML) Used for the Long-term Studies Section (LTSS) publicly accessible registry describing scientific data sets on ecology and the environment. http://knb.ecoinformatics.org/software/eml/ http://knb.ecoinformatics.org/knb/style/skins/ltss/index.html • Darwin Core Used for the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) portal of collection and observation data. http://darwincore.calacademy.org/ http://www.gbif.org/

35. The FGDC CSDGM Standard and the Biological Data Profile • What the CSDGM Standard and the Biological Data Profile are • Details about the Sections and Terms of the Standard

36. Biological Data Profile Workbook

37. FGDC metadata standard: overview Seven Major Metadata Sections: Section 1 - Identification Information* Section 2 - Data Quality Information Section 3 - Spatial Data Information Section 4 - Spatial Reference Information Section 5 - Entity and Attribute Information Section 6 - Distribution Information Section 7 - Metadata Information* Three Supporting Sections: Section 8 - Citation Information* Section 9 - Time Period Information* Section 10 - Contact Information* * Minimum required metadata

38. FGDC Metadata Standard: All the Details FGDC Metadata Standards: http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/status/textstatus.html Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM) (version 2.0), FGDC-STD-001-1998  http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/contstan.html Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, Part 1: Biological Data Profile, FGDC-STD-001.1-1999 (Note: The FGDC biological data profile is sometimes also referred to as the “NBII extension”) http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/status/sub5_2.html

39. FGDC Metadata Workbook & Graphic Representations Primary FGDC digital geospatial metadata standard http://fgdc.gov/metadata/meta_workbook.html http://biology.usgs.gov/fgdc.metadata/version2/ FGDC metadata including the Biological Data Profile http://www.nbii.gov/datainfo/metadata/standards/BDP-workbook.doc http://www.nbii.gov/datainfo/metadata/standards/bdp.html

40. FGDC Metadata Element Data Element Definition Element number Choice of integer, real, text, date Valid values that can be assigned or “free text”, “free date”, or “free time”

41. FGDC Graphic Representation A tool to visually describe the structure of the metadata standard; depicting information, organization, reporting requirements, and structure of the standard through the use of colorand the relationship of information through the use of symbology. http://biology.usgs.gov/fgdc.metadata/version2/ http://www.nbii.gov/datainfo/metadata/standards/bdp.html

42. Data Elements (raised 3-d boxes) Graphical Representation of the Elements Section Compound Elements (not raised) 10/06/95

43. Compound Element 1 Compound Element 1.1 Data Element 1.1.1 Data Element 1.1.2 Data Element 1.2 How Are Elements Grouped? Compound elements are composed of other compound or data elements. The composition is represented by nested boxes. 10/06/95

44. Compound Element 1 (can be repeated unlimited times) Compound Element 1.1 Data Element 1.1.1 Data Element 1.1.2 Data Element 1.2 What Can Repeat? How Many Times? If an element can be repeated independently from other elements, a labelbelow the element name states how many times the element may be repeated. If there is no label, the element does not repeat independently from other elements. 10/06/95

45. What’s Mandatory? What’s Not? Compound Element Data Element Meaning Mandatory: must be provided Mandatory if applicable: must be provided if the data set exhibits the defined characteristic Optional: provided at the discretion of the data producer Biological Data Profileelements (yellow, green, or blue with red outline and text).

46. Keywords Attribute Accuracy Attribute Accuracy Report Theme (can be repeated unlimited times) Status Theme Keyword Thesaurus Progress Theme Keyword (can be repeated...) Quantitative Attribute Accuracy Assessment Maintenance and Update Frequency Attribute Accuracy Value Place (can be repeated unlimited times) Place Keyword Thesaurus Mandatory Attribute Accuracy Explanation Mandatory if Applicable Place Keyword (can be repeated...) Optional Navigating the FGDC Standard 10/06/95

47. Rules and Tips for Creating Quality Metadata Files How Do You Write Good Metadata?

48. Good Metadata: Steps to Quality Metadata • Organize your information • Write your metadata • Review for accuracy and completeness • Have someone else read your file • Revise it, based on comments from your reviewer • Review it once more before you publish it

49. Good Metadata: Keep your readers in mind • Write simply but completely • Document for a general audience • Be consistent in style and terminology

50. Good Metadata: Think about the long-term effects • Don’t use jargon • Define technical terms and acronyms: CA, LA, GPS, GIS • Clearly state data limitations • Don’t use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS • Use subheadings and/or bulleted lists • Cite examples • Use “none” or “unknown” meaningfully