Scientific Metadata

This entry is a collection of resources for SCEC researchers defining metadata for their scientific data.

SCEC Metadata Goals

SCEC computational program seeks to produce metadata sufficient for use by USGS scientists, so current SCEC metadata practices are intended to be preliminary steps toward USGS compliant metadata. Current practices and conventions are intended to be consistent with USGS practices.

USGS Metadata Example (ShakeMap)

Citation:
 Citation_Information:
  Originator: The California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN) and the U.S. Geological Survey
 Publication_Date: 20100605
 Publication_Time: 090526 GMT
Title: Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS), ShakeMap, California Region, Maps of ground shaking and intensity for event 71409946, 100.3 km (62.3 mi) W of Petrolia, CA
Edition: Map Version 13; Code Version 3.2
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Map
Online_Linkage: <http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/shakemap>

Type of Metadata

There are three main types of metadata:

• Structural: Defines the metadata elements that need to be collected; labels like title, author, date created, subject, purpose, etc. Defining these structural elements is typically based on a mix of organizational and system needs, along with standard schemas like Dublin Core.
• Administrative: Often created automatically when content is entered into the CMS, these values are used to manage the content. Administrative metadata includes things like date created or author. They can sometimes include sub-elements about rights-management or preservation.
• Descriptive: These values describe aspects specific to each content component, like title, subject, audience, and/or purpose.

SCEC Metadata Attribute Conventions

SCEC conventions for metadata in ASCII file.,to support parsing of files

1. Metadata attributes are stored as attribute_name: attribute_value pairs departed by a colon
2. Attribute names have no spaces
3. Attribute_names are included in an attribute name list that serves as a controlled vocabulary
4. Attribute_name.units is a way to preserve additional information about an attribute.

Peak_Acceleration: 10
Peak_Acceleration.units: cm/sec

Structural Metadata Examples

This metadata should answer the question "What constitutes a piece of content?"

Title: Ashendon
Description: Book
Tags: 

Administrative Metadata

This metadata should answer questions about the creation and status of the content

Appears_in:
Created_by:
Taken_on:
Taken_with:

Descriptive Metadata

This metadata answers the question" This is this content about?"

Title:
Description:
Tags:

Related Entries

• CME Project