Agricultural Metadata Element Set: Standardization and Information Dissemination

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Agricultural Metadata Element Set
Standardization and Information Dissemination
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Some background on Metadata

• normally described as data about data
• it enables effective, efficient, and accurate use
  of data sets and data collections.
• It is the departure point for every kind of
  discovery system
• paper based ? catalogues
• digital ? machine readable repositories
• It is a documentation of collected data,
  understandable many years after its collection

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Summary - Metadata

• Common metadata allows us to
• Give lexical words a meaning
• Book Title vs. Personal Title
• Published Date vs. Date of Birth
• Person Name vs. Brand Name
• Facilitate easy exchange between systems
• Facilitate resource discovery and request access
  for it
• Reuse content for different purposes
• inventory across databases
• Reduction of cost by using standardized tools and
  resources
• Facilitate automatic processing and manipulation
  of information
• Ex. send an email using all ltemailgt fields

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Existing standards

• Dublin Core
• 15 simple elements which are all optional and
  repeatable
• qualified DC
• ex. date modified
• Our standard uses the DC. Why?
• simple and flexible
• an open standard
• achieved through inter-domain consensus
• libraries, archives, government, education etc.
• caters to discovery of resources
• international

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The Dublin Core

• Title
• Creator
• Subject
• Description
• Publisher
• Contributor
• Date

• Type
• Format
• Identifier
• Source
• Language
• Relation
• Coverage
• Rights

All the DC elements are identified by the
namespace prefix dc
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Example of Metadata in DC

• ltlink rel"schema.DC" href"http//purl.org/dc/ele
  ments/1.1/" /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.title" lang"English"
  content"Agricultural Metadata Standards Homepage
  (Welcome Page)" /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.creator" content"AGRIS/CARIS
  Documentation Unit" /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.subject" lang"English"
  content"Comments are welcome First draft of
  Namespace document AgMES Stance on Namespaces
  and Application Profiles Draft XML DTD What's
  New" /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.description" lang"English"
  content"The objectives of the AgMES Project
  include development and proposal of agricultural
  information standards for the combined purpose of
  resource discovery, interoperability and
  effective data exchange between and among
  uniquely and richly described agricultural
  resources. The Project looks into the first
  objective of this initiative, preparing and
  promoting good practice guidelines for using
  metadata in description of agricultural
  resources." /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.publisher" content"AGRIS/CARIS
  Documentation Unit" /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.contributor" content"AGRIS/CARIS
  Documentation Unit" /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.date" scheme"W3CDTF"
  content"2002-02-22" /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.type" scheme"DCMIType"
  content"Text" /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.format" scheme"IMT"
  content"text/html" /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.identifier" content"http//www.fao
  .org/agris/agmes/default.htm" /gt
• ltmeta name"DC.language" schemeISO639-2"
  contenteng" /gt

Same metadata can be found in the source code of
AgMES top page lthttp//www.fao.org/agris/agmes/gt
(View Source)
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AgMES beginnings

• November 2000 workshop in Brussels (FAO and
  OneWorld Europe) to initiate discussion about a
  Metadata schema.
• http//www.oneworld.org/thinktank/iktools/agstand
  ards.html
• July 2001 concept paper about a metadata set
• http//www.fao.org/agris/agmes/Conference_Papers/
  Presentations.htm
• March 2002 Draft Metadata standard (AgMES)
• February 2003 Version 1.1 of AgMES released
  with RDF Schema
• ftp//ext-ftp.fao.org/agris/papers/AGMESNS-DLIO.d
  oc

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AgMES and extensibility

• The DC elements were not enough to describe
  records in many of our Agricultural databases.
• We wanted to specify
• schemes such as AGROVOC, AGRIS subject
  Categories
• qualifiers such as subjectThesaurus and
  subjectClassification to distinguish between
  them
• elements such as Availability to provide
  information about the exact location of the
  resource (holding location)
• Local extensions to DC are easy to make, however,
  they must not compromise interoperability
• We did not reinvent, it is not that there are not
  enough standards, but there are just too many!

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AgMES extensions -The Bigger Picture
The Building Blocks (Namespaces)
Dublin Core (DC)
AgMES (AGS)
AGLS (AGLS)
Others (FI, vCard etc.)
Application Specific Implementations
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What does Metadata Provide?

• Facilitate use of common semantics and
  interoperability
• Provide for domain specificity
• AGROVOC, ASFA
• Support resource discovery and electronic
  management of resources
• Books, Journals, PowerPoint Presentations etc.
• Provide one-stop location for creating similar
  future systems
• clearinghouse containing information on creating,
  maintaining element set

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What it does not..

• Information system organization mechanism
• storage
• Data transfer mechanisms or protocol
• A means to describe everything!
• Dont force everything into it

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Current Status

• The first draft is available for use
• lt ftp//ext-ftp.fao.org/agris/papers/AGMESNS-DLIO.
  doc gt
• Preparing documents for guidance on
• use, extension, maintenance
• Furnishing the website with examples of usage
• Providing advice to interested parties

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Conclusion

• AgMES is an implementation independent standard
  that provides elements in addition to DC to store
  and exchange metadata on document like resources
• Local extensions can be made, however, it must
  not compromise interoperability
• Do not reinvent, it is not that there are not
  enough standards, there are actually too many!

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More Information

• AgMES Homepage lthttp//www.fao.org/agris/agmes/gt
• AgMES 1.1 Document ltftp//ext-ftp.fao.org/agris/pa
  pers/AGMESNS-DLIO.docgt
• AgMES RDF lthttp//www.purl.org/agmes/1.1/gt
• Glossary of Terms lthttp//www.fao.org/agris/agmes/
  Glossary/glossary.htmgt
• Example of AgMES Use
• AGRIS Guidelines for the Description of
  Information Objects in the International
  Information System on Agricultural Sciences and
  Technology ltftp//ext-ftp.fao.org/agris/papers/AGR
  ISAP-UserGuide.docgt