Metadata
Metadata Session Objectives
1. Critical look at Metadata
2. Where does it come from?
3. What can you do?
4. How does metadata help an office?
FIM Training, January 2006
Metadata – What is it?
What does the word
“Metadata” mean to you?
FIM Training, January 2006
A World Without Metadata
Imagine:
• A (large) airport
– What information is metadata?
• How do you get to NYC?
• What do you do? What is everyone
else doing?
• The result?
FIM Training, January 2006
A World Without Metadata
Now Imagine:
• A new emergency
– What information is metadata?
• How do you collect information?
• What do you do? What is everyone
else doing?
• Sri Lanka UNDAC file example
FIM Training, January 2006
Metadata – What is it?
• Data about Data
• Information about Data
• Information about Information
• Context about Information
• Why Context → So others can find it!
• Ex: 1997 report by a consultant X
about OCHA activities in Country Y?
FIM Training, January 2006
Standardization
• Different Offices? Are they the
same?
• How can we get there?
– OCHA Metadata Standard
– OCHA Geo-spatial Metadata Standard
– Controlled Vocabulary
– Naming Conventions
– Consistency
– Thinking about others
FIM Training, January 2006
OCHA Metadata
• Common Document Metadata
• Based on:
– UN Archives and Record Mgmt
Metadata
– Dublin Core / ISO Standards
– FIS draft Metadata Standard
– ITS draft Metadata Standard
• Formulated by a Metadata consultant
FIM Training, January 2006
OCHA Geospatial Metadata
• Based on ISO 19115
• UNGIWG adopted above
• UN spatial metadata standard in
Draft form
FIM Training, January 2006
Controlled Vocabulary
• Why?
• But it doesn’t fit my office!
– Perhaps, but it does fits OCHA
– Professionalism in OCHA
• Where did it come from
– OCHA Registry, OCHA Shared Drives,
UNDP, UNICEF, DPKO, UN Archives,
ReliefWeb, UN Working Groups on
classifications and admin boundaries
FIM Training, January 2006
Naming Conventions
• Why?
• What about the other metadata?
• Example of an image file
• Please, make it easy to understand…
FIM Training, January 2006
Naming Conventions
“Give a name that sufficiently describes
the document (avoiding acronyms
where possible) so that, in 10 years,
a person who is unfamiliar with the
content can easily identify its
contents without opening the file.”
FIM Training, January 2006
Knowledge Management?
• Lawrence Prusak & Thomas Davenport at UN
– http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/events/lectures/knowledge.htm
1. Knowledge cannot be managed
• Rather, we manage INFORMATION
2. How to structure data:
• Connectivity – bring people together
• Metatagging
• Common Vocabulary / Language
FIM Training, January 2006
What Can I Do?
• “Study” the controlled vocabulary
• Lead by example
• Practice good habits
– Office staff will be following your
example
• Promote standards
• “Chase up” your colleagues
• Standard underpins our systems
FIM Training, January 2006
How Will This Help My Office?
• Protects investment in data
• Helps users understand data
• Enables discovery
• Consistency amongst offices
– Easier staff movement and new staff
– Unified OCHA products/actions/brand
• Easier communication
• Efficiency / Time and cost saving
FIM Training, January 2006