iufro international union of forest research organizations eero mikkola the increasing importance of...
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IUFROInternational Union of
Forest Research Organizations
Eero Mikkola
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in Forest Information
GatheringThe Use of Information and Communication Technology Tools in Forest Research
IUFRO-SPDC Pre-Congress Training Course
August 2005, Gympie, Australia
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering
Metadata is a gateway between information/data and users of information
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering
Metadata:- Titles and dates of folders,files and documents - Library systems
1980’s
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering
????
Metadata
Today
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering, Importance of metadata
Why to create metadata? Helps user understand data Facilitates discovery Protects investment in data
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering, Importance of metadata
Helps user understand data Provides consistency Focuses on key elements of data Helps user define the data's fitness for use Facilitates data transfer and translation by new users
Helps people find the data they need and define how best to use it
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering, Importance of metadata
Facilitates discovery Provides information to data catalogs An organization that takes the time to create and maintain quality metadata will also mostly likely take the time to develop good quality data => Facilities quality Reduces workload associated with questions about data: users don't have to keep asking producers questions Cuts overall costs: allows automation of tools which ease overall burden and cost of data population and
maintenance A key element of spatial data sharing
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering, Importance of metadata
Protects investment in data Reduce effect of staff turnover and individual memory loss Sets the stage for data re-use and update Provides documentation of data sources and quality
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering
The importance of a metadata service Organizations have long recognized the importance of metadata. However, only few have successfully devised and implemented such a service. There are a number of reasons for this disconnect – the nature of the task, the state of most software products, and the complexity of the task, both technically and procedurally.
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering
There are three major decisions that must be reached when developing a metadata service:
1. Agreed metadata model
2. Choosing the application which will be used to acquire, manage, and distribute metadata
3. Defining and enforcing a methodology for the use and maintenance of the above.
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering
Metadata services/initiatives at various level In house - Intranet National level Regional level Convention level - GBIF, www.gbif.net
Global level – GFIS, www.gfis.net
The Increasing Importance of Metadata in
Forest Information Gathering
Similarities and differences of metadata services at various level Data and information are same for all Technically metadata is also same Services are different from their goals and thus they are used for different purposes.
=> Because of different goals of services they have their own target groups/users
Thank you for your attention!
The Use of Information and Communication Technology Tools in Forest Research
IUFRO-SPDC Pre-Congress Training Course
August 2005, Gympie, Australia