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Metadata
The IDENA profile
IDENA: Metadata details
Introduction
One of the main objectives of a Spatial Data Infrastructure is to make it possible to search for and consult existing spatial information. To do so, it is essential to catalogue all the spatial data and then upload it on to a metadata catalogue service. SITNA has been requesting the creation of metadata for several years.
Access to the metadata is made through the website for the Navarra Spatial Data Infrastructure, IDENA.
Definition
According to the most usual definition, metadata are "data about data". It describes data's contents, quality, condition and other characteristics. In short, it helps a person to locate and understand the spatial data available.
Spatial metadata must be thought of as a legend that identifies the producers of the data, the documentary sources used in production, the data's attributes, the publication date, reference system, maintenance frequency...
Objectives
Metadata has several objectives:
- Providing the producers with the necessary information to correctly describe their data and facilitate its maintenance and organisation.
- Allow users to find out about the basic characteristics of the data and use it more efficiently. Helps avoiding mistaken use by including descriptions of how and why it was created.
- Facilitate the discovery, recovery and reuse of the data. For users, it is easier to locate, access, evaluate, use and purchase data. A query made to a standard metadata catalogue service can lead to searches in different databases at the same time. The result is a list of metadata from different servers.
- Helping to transfer the data by providing information on archive formats, size, location, etc.
IDENA metadata profile
Standardisation
Documentation has become a necessary job to manage and use the data correctly. This best use is not only considered for internal use within an organisation or company, but it can also be shared with other data producers and among producers and users.
Metadata standards have been created so that this documentation can be understood by everyone, or in other words, so that we are all "speaking the same language".
The aim of a metadata standard is to provide a common structure to describe geographic digital data. It defines the elements that make up the metadata, provides a single schema and establishes common terminology for everyone, user and producers.
The INSPIRE initiative imposes metadata rules. Navarra, following the proposals of the Work Group to create the IDEE (Spatial Data Infrastructure for Spain) has adopted a subset of elements that guarantee a sufficient integration with metadata from the rest of the European SDI initiatives that is called the IDENA metadata profile.
This profile consists on:
- 22 elements from the ISO Core.
- 4 additional elements from the Dublin Core.
- 3 quality elements.
- 4 additional elements from the Spanish Metadata Core.
- 6 additional elements corresponding to SITNA's needs.