Toward a Data Repository for Toward a Data Repository for Evolutionary Biology: Evolutionary Biology: <Metadata Issues> <Metadata Issues>

Jane Greenberg, Associate Professor, Director SILS/Metadata Research Center <MRC>, UNC-CHJackson Dube, Visiting Scholar, SILS/MRCRuth Monnig, Doctoral Research Assistant, SILS/MRC

OverviewOverview

1. Metadata defined

2. Role of metadata in a repository

3. Range of metadata standards– Principles and objectives– Domains– Architectural Layout

4. Issues

5. Discussion

MetadataMetadata Data about the content, quality, condition,

and other characteristics of data (FGDC Glossary, 1992)

Additional information necessary for data to be useful (Musik, 1997)

Structured, descriptive information about a resource (DCMI Glossary; Weibel, 1995)

*Resource = data = object = entity = document = data object

Metadata types and propertiesMetadata types and properties

Metadata “type” Property, etc.

*Resource/data discovery

Title, subject

Provenance Creator, source

Terms and condition metadata (intellectual use)

Access rights, manipulation rights.

Structural metadata (technical use)

Software and hardware needs

*Resource = data = object = entity = document = data object

Range of published data objectsRange of published data objects

Table, graph Dataset Research methods//procedures Agent/s: scientists/s, organizations Project Publication

Related data objects – All these levels again and more…

Range of metadata standardsRange of metadata standardsSchemes (just a few…)Schemes (just a few…) LSID TEI Header; MARC

bibliographic format, Dublin Core

EAD FGDC/CSGSM; NBII EML DDI

ODRL (Creative Commons Profile)

A Core PREMIS

CharacteristicsCharacteristics Objectives and

principles Domains

– Environment– Object type/format

Architectural Layout– Extent– Level of Complexity

Flat, hierarchical

– Granularity

Metadata continuumMetadata continuum

LSID FGDC EMLTEI Header,

MARC;

Dublin Core

EADDDI

Draft – jed, after we meet, maybe you can make pretty!

Range of metadata standardsRange of metadata standards

Data structure standardsData communication standardsData value standards

– Content representation, ontologies, authority files

Data syntax standardsData models, architectures/packaging

The Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB)The Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB)

*http://knb.ecoinformatics.org//data.html

The Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB)The Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB)

*http://knb.ecoinformatics.org//data.html

ontologies

Data structures

IssuesIssues Cost

– More metadata, more cost to produce– Less metadata, cost to users

Metadata creation– Who, when, how? (Insuring quality, timely creation)– What applications are needed?

Interoperability– What levels of interoperability do we need? With

what systems? Preservation

– How should the metadata/data be preserved and sustained

Open access– How do we ensure open access to the metadata+?

Questions for discussionQuestions for discussion

What level do you think metadata needs to be applied to facilitate data object discovery/use?

What will help or invite users? What other issues come to mind?

Why metadata?Why metadata?

Facilitate discovery of data objects Permit use – intellectual and technical Asset/object management and

preservation Security Help advance the field of evolutionary

biology

Range of published data objectsRange of published data objects

Table, graph Dataset (supplementary data, entire data set) Research methods, procedures Coverage: Temporal and spatial aspects Agent/s: scientists/s, organizations Project Publication (journal volume, issue, pagination)

Related data objects “All these levels again and more…

/ Ruth/Jed, please consider altering/or another slide/s..