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Geospatial Metadata
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Metadata or "data about data" describes the content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of data. Metadata is a vital part of the federated model. Given the abundance of data from various sources, tracking and providing information on a dataset basis is critical for maintaining and distributing data. It also enables users to wisely use the data. Metadata must meet the FGDC standard. FGDC approved the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata* (FGDC-STD-001-1998) in June 1998. XML generated by ArcCatalog is the District standard format for interagency metadata transfer and sharing.
Metadata encompasses Spatial Data Organization and Spatial Reference. Spatial Data Organization includes spatial reference method, spatial feature type, feature count, and other references. ESRI automatically populates this section in ArcCatalog when creating or updating metadata. Spatial Reference, or projection of the data set, includes the spatial reference parameters, such as projection name, horizontal datum and units, and ellipsoid. For datasets with a vertical component, this section contains descriptors such as altitude datum and units. ESRI automatically populates this section in ArcCatalog when creating or updating metadata if the spatial reference has been defined for the data set.
OCTO GIS currently enforces the creation of metadata for each dataset that it produces in ESRI’s ArcCatalog software application (the preferred metadata editing application of OCTO GIS). ArcCatalog is used for composing and updating metadata. It follows the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) standards for metadata. The FGDC editor is used to edit the metadata. The FGDC Classic format is the preferred output format when creating metadata at OCTO GIS.
All metadata that is made available online on the OCTO GIS website is in XML format. For information on what fields are required for specific datasets, contact the OCTO GIS Data Coordinator The FGDC standard groups metadata into seven descriptors. They are the key areas where the analyst enters information about the dataset.
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