Metadata Standards:
Descriptions of marine datasets have been in existence for some time. The methods used to describe these dataset have often evolved in different ways and can be incompatible. Some dataset descriptions have evolved at a national or regional level to become a "standard" but may not be interoperable with other countries or regions and do not provide an easy way to access discover data at the global level.
In order for metadata to be processed in a consistent manner, it is necessary for metadata to be described in a standard way. A metadata standard is a common set of terms and definitions that describe data. A level of conformance is important to ensure everyone can discover, understand and share data by finding and comparing common details regarding the data. A metadata standard outlines the characteristic properties to be recorded, as well as the values the properties should have. Such standardization of the vocabulary makes information sharing more reliable and universal.
The following are some of the important metadata standards used to describe marine data and information.
The International Standard ISO 19115 (Geographic Information - Metadata) is a standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It is a component of the series of ISO 191xx standards for geographic metadata which have been developed by the ISO/TC 211 technical committee [1]. ISO 19115 defines how to describe geographical information and associated services, including contents, spatial-temporal purchases, data quality, access and rights to use. The standard defines more than 300 metadata elements with 20 core elements.
The Directory Interchange Format (DIF) is a metadata standard used to describe Earth science datasets. The DIF standard is used to create records for the NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD), an on-line system with information about Earth science datasets. DIF is designed to work with other metadata standards and is compatible with both the ISO 19115 and CSDGM standards.
This format has been required of all US agencies; due to its size (ca. 300 fields) it is not altogether popular.
The CSR, previously known as ROSCOP (Report of Observations/Samples Collected by Oceanographic Programmes), is an established international standard designed to gather information about oceanographic data. ROSCOP was designed in the late 1960s by the IOC to provide an inventory for tracking oceanographic data collected on Research Vessels. It was extensively revised in 1990 and was renamed Cruise Summary Report. It has been widely adopted by many IOC member states and other organisations such as International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES).
The Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM), often referred to as the FGDC Metadata Standard, was developed and is maintained by the US Federal Geographic Data Committee and is the official US Federal Metadata Standard and includes about 300 mandatory and optional fields.
| 1. TITLE The name given to the resource by the CREATOR or PUBLISHER |
| 2. CREATOR. The person(s) or organization(s) responsible for the intellectual content of the resource |
| 3. SUBJECT. The topic of the resource, or keywords or phrases that describe the content of the resource |
| 4. DESCRIPTION. A textual description of the content of the resource, including abstract or content description |
| 5. PUBLISHER. The entity responsible for making the resource available in its present form |
| 6. OTHER CONTRIBUTORS. Additional person(s) or organization(s) who have made intellectual contributions to the resource |
| 7. DATE. The date the resource was made available in its present form |
| 8. TYPE. The category of the resource, such as home page, technical report |
| 9. FORMAT. The data representation of the resource, such as text/html, ASCII, or JPEG image |
| 10. IDENTIFIER. String or number used to uniquely identify the resource |
| 11. SOURCE. The work, either print or electronic, from which this resource is derived |
| 12. LANGUAGE. Language(s) of the intellectual content of the resource |
| 13. RELATIONSHIP. Relationship to other resources |
| 14. COVERAGE. The spatial locations and temporal durations characteristic of the resource |
| 15. RIGHTS. A link to a copyright notice or a rights-management statement |