An introduction to

MEDIN Data Guidelines

What MEDIN data guidelines are not…

• Protocols for collection methods

• Prescriptive of how you have to collect

and store your data

• Another simple transfer format for data

MEDIN guidelines are Data Archive Standards.

Do we need another standard?

Data guidelines

• Instill good practice amongst users• Allow contracting organizations to specify a

format that data should be returned in that can be readily used and includes all relevant attributes

• Provide a consistent format for contractors to work to (rather than a different format for each contract)

• Allow easy ingestion of data to Data Archiving Centres

Relationship to Discovery Metadata

MEDIN discovery metadata – allows the non-informed user to discover data.

MEDIN data guidelines - all the information that will make your data re-useable

One size does not fit all

• Our data model has to encompass everything from a sighting by a member of the public to a complex cruise survey or a historical time series!

• Guidelines are themed by method and split

into levels

• Where possible levels work across methods

• These standard kits can be bolted together in different ways if needed for complex surveys (e.g. where collecting data using different methods in a single survey)

Data Guideline Structure

6 tables

Project SurveyFixed StationSample EventSampling Methods (Data Production Tools)Sample Data – the data

Data guidelines

Data guidelines

Zip file contains:

1. readme file

2. Word document of the Data Guideline

3. Excel template of the Data Guideline

Download latest version from website

Mandatory/Conditional/Optional

Same information

Data Guidelines

Exceptions

• If transferring historic data then some mandatory fields may be omitted

• The guideline can be extended to suit specific requirements

Practical

Aim – to familiarise yourselves with the structure and content of a Data Guideline.

1)Find the Data Guidelines page on the MEDIN website. Which data guidelines look relevant to your work? Is there an obvious gap for your work?

2)Open the Data Guideline for discrete water sampling from your desktop (the xls template) or select a more relevant guideline from the website.

3)Start to fill in the data guideline as if you were on survey (or use the data provided COBS_example_data.xls, BODC_sample_metadata_report.html)