Module 1 - Introduction to Metadata || Exercise 1 - Name That Photo
Module 2 - Metadata in the Geospatial World || Exercise 2 - The Big Blow
Metadata Tutorial Home || Metadata Home

Module 2
Metadata in the Geospatial World

Using Metadata to Document Geospatial Data

In the previous examples, you described two "data sets." The crucial information you should have captured may have included

• Title
• Who
• What
• Where
• When
• By whom
• How

Metadata utilizes common terms and definitions to document your data, answering the above questions.

Now let's begin thinking about metadata for geospatial data.

While it is certainly clear why we need the information found on a label of a can of food or in a library record, it might not be intuitive why we need to document our geospatial data. Let's examine this closer.

Imagine you have been assigned a project to look at coastal erosion from major storm events along the Atlantic seaboard. This is a project that involves gathering a significant quantity of data. You suspect that some, if not all, of this information has been gathered before. If these data have been documented with metadata, and if, as is typically done, the metadata have been indexed and made searchable in a clearinghouse, your task will be made easy. In that case, you can perform a search on coastal erosion and major storms along the Atlantic seaboard, and then review the metadata to decide which data set(s) will work best for your particular project. The obvious benefit here is that you will save time and money by eliminating the need to generate all these data yourself. Of course, you still might have to gather data, but I'll bet the time spent gathering that data will be significantly reduced.

Once you determine what data are appropriate for your project, you can then refer to the metadata to get information on what projection the data are in, what process steps were taken, and any supplemental information that you may need to incorporate the data into your project. After you incorporate the data you accessed and update the metadata record or write a new metadata document for your project, you will have legacy information that can be used by others who might need your data, and also by anyone else who might pick up where you left off.

To summarize, metadata can save you time, money, effort, and frustration, which will all act to make your work much more enjoyable.

Now that we have an elemental understanding of the concept of metadata and their importance, let's try writing some simple metadata.

In this next exercise, we will be working with a geospatial data set. Your task will be to examine the descriptive categories and then extract the appropriate information out of the data set to populate the metadata. As you work through this exercise, remember what you have learned, and also keep in mind that you are describing the data set, not just repeating the data.

Exercise 2