Glossary of Metadata Fields Description

This glossary provides you with brief descriptions of the minimum set of metadata fields required to properly describe a geographical data as well as some optional elements highly suggested for a more extensive standard description.

Access constraints
Access constraints applied to assure the protection of privacy or intellectual property, and any special restrictions or limitations on obtaining the resource
Abstract
Brief narrative summary of the content of the resource(s)
Administrative area
State, province of the location
Temporal extent - Begin date
Formatted as 2007-09-12T15:00:00 (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss)
Character set
Full name of the character coding standard used for the metadata set
Grid spatial representation - Cell geometry
Identification of grid data as point or cell
City
City of the location
Reference System Info - Code
Alphanumeric value identifying an instance in the namespace
Country
Country of the physical address
Data quality info
Provides overall assessment of quality of a resource(s)
Date
Reference date and event used to describe it (YYYY-MM-DD)
Date stamp
Date that the metadata was created (YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss)
Date type
Event used for reference date
Delivery point
Address line for the location (as described in ISO 11180, annex A)
Equivalent scale - Denominator
The number below the line in a vulgar fraction
Data Quality - Description
Description of the event, including related parameters or tolerances
OnLine resource - Description
Detailed text description of what the online resource is/does
Descriptive keywords
Provides category keywords, their type, and reference source
Grid spatial representation - Dimension name
Name of the axis i.e. row, column
Grid spatial representation - Dimension size
Number of elements along the axis
Dimension size Resolution
Number of elements along the axis
Distribution info
Provides information about the distributor of and options for obtaining the resource(s)
Geographic bounding box - East bound longitude
Eastern-most coordinate of the limit of the dataset extent, expressed in longitude in decimal degrees (positive east)
Edition
Version of the cited resource
Electronic mail address
Address of the electronic mailbox of the responsible organisation or individual
Temporal extent - End date
Formatted as 2007-09-12T15:00:00 (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss)
Equivalent scale
Level of detail expressed as the scale of a comparable hardcopy map or chart
Extent
Information about spatial, vertical, and temporal extent
Facsimile
Telephone number of a facsimile machine for the responsible organisation or individual
File identifier
Unique identifier for this metadata file
Vector spatial representation - Geometric object type
Name of point and vector spatial objects used to locate zero-, one-and two-dimensional spatial locations in the dataset
Vector spatial representation - Geometric object count
Total number of the point or vector object type occurring in the dataset
Geographic bounding box
Geographic position of the dataset
Grid spatial representation
Information about grid spatial objects in the dataset
Grid spatial representation - Resolution value
Degree of detail in the grid dataset
Grid spatial representation - Transformation parameter availability
Indication of whether or not parameters for transformation exists
Data Quality - Hierarchy level
Hierarchical level of the data specified by the scope
Identification info
Basic information about the resource(s) to which the metadata applies
Point of Contact - Individual name
Name of the responsible person- surname, given name, title separated by a delimiter
Keyword
Commonly used word(s) or formalised word(s) or phrase(s) used to describe the subject
Data Language
Language used for documenting data
Metadata - Language
Language used for documenting metadata
Data Quality - Lineage
Non-quantitative quality information about the lineage of the data specified by the scope. Mandatory if report not provided
OnLine resource - Linkage
Location (address) for on-line access using a Uniform Resource Locator address or similar addressing scheme such as http://www.statkart.no/isotc211
Maintenance and update frequency
Frequency with which changes and additions are made to the resource after the initial resource is completed
Metadata author
Party responsible for the metadata information
Metadata standard name
Name of the metadata standard (including profile name) used
Metadata standard version
Version (profile) of the metadata standard used
OnLine resource - Name
Name of the online resource
Geographic bounding box - North bound latitude
Northern-most, coordinate of the limit of the dataset extent expressed in latitude in decimal degrees (positive north)
Grid spatial representation - Number of dimensions
Number of independent spatial-temporal axes
Distribution Info - OnLine resource
Information about online sources from which the resource can be obtained
Point of Contact - Organisation name
Name of the responsible organisation
Other constraints
Other restrictions and legal prerequisites for accessing and using the resource
Point of contact
Identification of, and means of communication with, person(s) and organisations(s) associated with the resource(s)
Point of contact - Position name
Role or position of the responsible person
Postal code
ZIP or other postal code
Presentation form
Mode in which the resource is represented
OnLine resource - Protocol
Connection protocol to be used
Purpose
Summary of the intentions with which the resource(s) was developed
Reference system info
Description of the spatial and temporal reference systems used in the datasetData
Data Quality - Report
Quantitative quality information for the data specified by the scope. Mandatory if lineage not provided
Grid spatial representation - Resolution value
Degree of detail in the grid dataset
Point of contact - Role
Function performed by the responsible party
Geographic bounding box - South bound latitude
Southern-most coordinate of the limit of the dataset extent, expressed in latitude in decimal degrees (positive north)
Spatial representation info
Digital representation of spatial information in the dataset
Spatial representation type
Method used to spatially represent geographic information
Data Quality - Statement
General explanation of the data producer’s knowledge about the lineage of a dataset
Status
Status of the resource(s)
Supplemental Information
Any other descriptive information about the dataset
Temporal Extent
Time period covered by the content of the dataset
Title
Name by which the cited resource is known
Topic category code
High-level geographic data thematic classification to assist in the grouping and search of available geographic data sets. Can be used to group keywords as well. Listed examples are not exhaustive. NOTE It is understood there are overlaps between general categories and the user is encouraged to select the one most appropriate.
Grid spatial representation - Transformation parameter availability
Indication of whether or not parameters for transformation exists
Vector spatial representation - Topology level
Code which identifies the degree of complexity of the spatial relationships
Type
Subject matter used to group similar keywords
URL
Unified Resource Locator
Use constraints
Constraints applied to assure the protection of privacy or intellectual property, and any special restrictions or limitations or warnings on using the resource
Vector spatial representation
Information about the vector spatial objects in the dataset
Voice
Telephone number by which individuals can speak to the responsible organisation or individual
Geographic bounding box - West bound longitude
Western-most coordinate of the limit of the dataset extent, expressed in longitude in decimal degrees (positive east)