IT 106 – Integrative Programming and Technologies 1

2.1 Metadata

Metadata standard
A metadata standard is a requirement which is intended to establish a common understanding of the meaning
or semantics of the data, to ensure correct and proper use and interpretation of the data by its owners and users. To
achieve this common understanding, a number of characteristics, or attributes of the data have to be defined, also
known as metadata.

Metadata
Metadata is often defined as data about data. It is “structured information that describes, explains, locates, or
otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use or manage an information resource”, especially in a distributed network
environment like for example the internet or an organization. A good example of metadata is the cataloging system
found in libraries, which records for example the author, title, subject, and location on the shelf of a resource.
Another is software system knowledge extraction of software objects such as data flows, control flows, call maps,
architectures, business rules, business terms, and database schemas.
Metadata is usually categorized in three types:

 Descriptive metadata describes an information resource for identification and retrieval through elements such
as title, author, and abstract.
 Structural metadata documents relationships within and among objects through elements such as links to
other components (e.g., how pages are put together to form chapters).
 Administrative metadata helps to manage information resources through elements such as version number,
archiving date, and other technical information for purposes of file management, rights management and
preservation.

Available metadata standards

Metadata elements grouped into sets designed for a specific purpose, e.g., for a specific domain or a particular type
of information resource, are called metadata schemas. For every element the name and the semantics (the meaning
of the element) are specified. Content rules (how content must be formulated), representation rules (e.g.,
capitalization rules), and allowed element values (e.g., from a controlled vocabulary) can be specified optionally.
Many different metadata schemas are being developed as standards across disciplines, such as library science,
education, archiving, e-commerce, and arts. In the table below, an overview of available metadata standards is
given.

Name Focus Description

Encoded Archival Description - a standard for encoding archival finding aids using
EAD Archiving
XML in archival and manuscript repositories.
Archiving and The Data Documentation Initiative is an international effort to establish a standard
DDI Social for technical documentation describing social science data. A membership-based
Science Alliance is developing the DDI specification, which is written in XML.
Visual Resources Association – the standard provides a categorical organization
VRA Core Arts for the description of works of visual culture as well as the images that document
them.
Categories for the Description of Works of Art is a conceptual framework for
CDWA Arts describing and accessing information about works of art, architecture, and other
material culture.
The Darwin Core is a metadata specification for information about the geographic
Darwin Core Biology
occurrence of species and the existence of specimens in collections.
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2.1 Metadata
Name Focus Description
Online Information Exchange - international standard for representing and
ONIX Book industry
communicating book industry product information in electronic form.
The main purpose of the Common Warehouse Metamodel is to enable easy
Data
CWM interchange of warehouse and business intelligence metadata in distributed
warehousing
heterogeneous environments.
Ecological Metadata Language is a specification developed for the ecology
EML Ecology
discipline.
Learning Objects Metadata - specifies the syntax and semantics of Learning
IEEE LOM Education
Object Metadata.
The (Financial) Market Data Definition Language (MDDL) has been developed by
the Financial Information Services Division (FISD) of the Software and Information
Industry Association (SIIA). MDDL is an extensible Markup Language (XML)
Financial
MDDL derived specification, which facilitates the interchange of information about
market
financial instruments used throughout the world financial markets. MDDL helps in
mapping all market data into a common language and structure to ease the
interchange and processing of multiple complex data sets.
Friend of a The Friend of a Friend (FOAF) project is about creating a Web of machine-
FOAF Friend readable homepages describing people, the links between them and the things
(FOAF) they create and do.
The ISO 19115:2003 Geographic information -- Metadata standard defines how to
Geographic describe geographical information and associated services, including contents,
ISO 19115
data spatial-temporal purchases, data quality, access and rights to use. It is maintained
by the ISO/TC 211 committee.
Geographic Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata maintained by the Federal
CSDGM
data Geographic Data Committee (FGDC).
The e-Government Metadata Standard (E-GMS) defines the metadata elements
e-GMS Government for information resources to ensure maximum consistency of metadata across
public sector organizations in the UK.
The Global Information Locator Service defines an open, low-cost, and scalable
Government/
GILS standard so that governments, companies, or other organizations can help
Organizations
searchers find information.
Humanities,
social Text Encoding Initiative - a standard for the representation of texts in digital form,
TEI
sciences and chiefly in the humanities, social sciences and linguistics.
linguistics
Z39.87 Data dictionary - technical metadata for digital still images (MIX) - NISO
NISO MIX Images Metadata for Images in XML is an XML schema for a set of technical data
elements required to manage digital image collections.
Indecs Content Model - Interoperability of Data in E-Commerce Systems
Intellectual
<indecs> addresses the need to put different creation identifiers and metadata into a
property
framework to support the management of intellectual property rights.
NIEM—the National Information Exchange Model—is a community-driven, US
Law
government-wide, standards-based approach to exchanging information. NIEM's
enforcement;
data domains are growing standards developed and maintained by domain
Social
communities. These are just some sample domains included or being developed in
NIEM services; Ent
NIEM: Chem/Bio/Rad/Nuc; Justice; Intelligence; Immigration; International Trade;
erprise
Biometrics; Emergency Management; Screening; Human Services; Children,
resource
Youth, and Family Services; Health; Immigration; Infrastructure Protection; Military
planning
Operations; Maritime; Surface Transportation.
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2.1 Metadata
Name Focus Description
XML Organic Bibliographic Information Schema - a XML schema for modeling
XOBIS Librarianship
MARC data.
Metadata Object Description Schema - is a schema for a bibliographic element set
MODS Librarianship
that may be used for a variety of purposes, and particularly for library applications.
Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard - an XML schema for encoding
METS Librarianship descriptive, administrative, and structural metadata regarding objects within a
digital library.
MARC - MAchine Readable Cataloging - standards for the representation and
MARC Librarianship
communication of bibliographic and related information in machine-readable form.
The Rules for Archival Description (RAD) is the Canadian archival descriptive
Librarianship standard. It is overseen by the Canadian Committee on Archival Description of the
RAD
and archiving Canadian Council of Archives.[10] Similar in structure to AACR2, it was last revised
in 2008.[11]
PBCore is a Metadata & Cataloging Resource for Public Broadcasters &
PBCore Media
Associated Communities
The Multimedia Content Description Interface MPEG-7 is an ISO/IEC standard and
MPEG-7 Multimedia specifies a set of descriptors to describe various types of multimedia information
and is developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group.
Music Music Encoding Initiative is a community-driven effort to create a commonly
MEI
notation accepted, digital, symbolic representation of music notation documents.
Networked Dublin Core - interoperable online metadata standard focused on networked
Dublin Core
resources resources.
Digital Object Identifier - provides a system for the identification and hence
Networked
DOI management of information ("content") on digital networks, providing persistence
resources
and semantic interoperability.
ISO/IEC 11179 Standard that describes the metadata and activities needed to
ISO/IEC
Organizations manage data elements in a registry to create a common understanding of data
11179[7]
across organizational elements and between organizations.
Records MoReq2010 - A specification describing the MOdel REQuirements for the
MoReq2010
management management of electronic records.
ISO 23081 - three-part technical specification defining metadata needed to
Records
ISO 23081[9] manage records. Part 1 addresses principles, part 2 addresses conceptual and
management
implementation issues, and part 3 outlines a self-assessment method.
Scientific Directory Interchange Format - a descriptive and standardized format for
DIF
data sets exchanging information about scientific data sets.
Shibboleth ha
s been
evolved by
Internet2/MA
CE. It
Security Assertion Markup Language is an XML-based open standard data format
provides a
for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties. A schema
SAML method of
example can be found on OASIS (Advancing open standards for the information
distributed
society)
authenticatio
n and
authorization
for
participating
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2.1 Metadata
Name Focus Description
HTTP(S)
based
applications.
ISO/IEC 19506 Standard called Knowledge Discovery Metamodel is an ontology
for describing software systems. The standard provides both a detailed ontology
and common data format for representing granular software objects and their
ISO/IEC Software
relationships enabling the extractions such as data flows, control flows, call maps,
19506[8] Systems
architecture, database schemas, business rules/terms and the derivation of
business processes. Used primarily for legacy and existing systems security,
compliance and modernization.
The EBU 'The EBU Class Conceptual Data Model (CCDM) is an ontology defining a basic
Class set of Classes and properties as a common vocabulary to describe programmes in
EBU CCDM Conceptual their different phases of creation from commissioning to delivery. CCDM is a
Data Model - common framework and users are invited to further enrich the model with Classes
CCDM and properties fitting more specifically their needs.
EBUCore is a set of descriptive and technical metadata based on the Dublin Core
The
and adapted to media. EBUCore is the flagship metadata specification of EBU [1],
EBUCore
the largest professional association of broadcasters around the world. It is
metadata set
EBUCore developed and maintained by EBU's Technical Department [2]. EBU has a long
for
history in the definition of metadata solutions for broadcasters [3]. EBUCore is
audiovisual
largely used as shown is this report [4]. EBUCore is registered in SMPTE. It is also
content
available in RDF [5] and the documentation from [6].
Web General method for conceptual description or modeling of information that is
RDF
resources implemented in web resources, using a variety of syntax formats.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metadata_standard