Metadata Made Easy
Metadata is important documentation about your GIS data. It is the "what, where, when, who and why"
that helps you retain your GIS investment when the people who know come and go. Although creating
metadata is a critical task, it can be tedious and time-consuming. Eliminating the reasons for
procrastinating - "I don't know how to write metadata," "It takes way too much time," "What in the
world does 'spatial extent' mean?" - can go a long way toward ensuring that metadata is created.
The Northwest Indiana GIS Forum produced an
Online Metadata Tool
that makes metadata creation as easy and painless as possible. Working with the Indiana Geological Survey, the Forum
developed a user-friendly web-based interface. The tool ultimately produces an FGDC minimally-compliant
metadata record in text file format that can be saved to the user's local computer. The text file can also
be uploaded to the IndianaMap Data Library or imported into ESRI ArcCatalog software without further processing.
In addition to the tool, the website offers numerous metadata-related resources, including detailed printable
instructions, great explanations of metadata and metadata collection, and the FGDC's Content Standard for
Digital Geospatial Metadata Workbook.
Results
The Metadata Tool encourages GIS professionals to generate metadata by eliminating many of the stumbling blocks.
Agencies and organizations who may not have been creating metadata in the past now have a quick and efficient
alternative. And metadata benefits everyone. Users of the data can determine if it really is what they need.
Metadata in compliance with FGDC standards can be easily searched within state or national data clearinghouses.
The collection of metadata also preserves institutional memory and helps organizations avoid the costs of
duplicating data that has already been compiled.
Printable Version