Metadata Entry Tool

1
Metadata Entry Tool

• WALIS 2008 Forum Presentation
• Allan Dobra
• adobra_at_skm.com.au

2
Metadata Entry Tool (MET) for the Defence Support
Group (DSG)

• Agenda
• DSG
• Desired process
• Organisation of data
• Avoiding the jargon
• Fitting metadata to the business
• Notes on validation
• Finish

3
DSG

• Defence Support Group (DSG) is the consolidated
  service delivery organisation for Defence
• DSG maintains environmental stewardship of over 3
  million hectares of land with more than 700
  leased or owned properties, containing more than
  25,000 built assets
• DSG manages
• And sustains the Defence estate of land,
  buildings and infrastructure
• Contracts for the construction of major new
  facilities
• Repairs and maintenance of existing facilities,
  as well as the disposal of excess properties and
  environmental heritage policy
• DSG has over 300 contractors which provide and
  maintain various datasets
• Some contractors do not have access to the
  internet

4
Desired data flow

• MET
• Create / edit valid metadata xml files
• NSIMS
• Inquiry of data (spatial metadata)
• Manages versioning of metadata
• Desktop solution
• Data maintenance groups may be isolated from
  internet for periods of a time
• DSG services not currently available external to
  Defence network
• Metadata XML packaged with existing dataset
• DSG Codelists (domains for estate and project
  IDs) will require updates
• Notify MET version updates

5
Organisation of data

• Metadata
• Stored in XML file
• Validates to DSG schema
• DSG Schema set
• Subset of DIGO schema
• Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation
  (DIGO) schema
• Extension of ISO 19139 schema set
• DIGO schema extended to meet DIGOs need
• ISO 19139 schema
• Comprising over 60 XSD files
• Complex W3C schema representing ISO 19115 and
  many other standards
• Other business requirements

Metadata DSG profile. (Modified from ISO 19115
specification)
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Avoiding introduction of technical conceptsAsk
questions in business terms

• User selection drives available screens
• Georeferenced (i.e. dataset)
• GIS data (vector, grid, tin)
• Imagery
• Geocoded (i.e. nonGeographicDataset)
• e.g. CAD, reports, photos, MS Excel
• Containing coordinates or linkage to a
  location(s)
• Part of a package? (new work or maintenance).
• series describes the project
• Provides for metadata grouping by series

7
Fitting metadata to the business

• Provision for searching
• Keyword domains managed by codelists and
  catalogues
• Keyword for business function/ process
• Dataset properties information type
• Defence estates (property)
• Project identifiers
• Some other provisions
• Manage maintenance
• Extraction and conversion of extents from .shp,
  .dwg and CRS
• Geographic description
• Data quality
• Manage contacts
• Manage use
• Clone metadata
• Metadata Explorer

8
Murky world of validation

• Why validate XML metadata?
• Integrity of data
• Compliance with schema set
• W3C compliant validation processors
• Provided with .NET, oXygen, XMLSpy, etc
• Validation of schema sets
• Validating ISO 19139 .NET ? oXygen ?
• Validating DIGO and DSG schemas (using redefine
  construct used)
• oXygen ?
• .NET processor required significant massaging!
• Causes of validation issues (defined by others)
• If you want portability, redefine is best
  avoided
• constructs that are deliberately or
  unintentionally underspecified in the Schema
  standards

9
In finishing

• DSG moving towards external services
• Optional online metadata services More
  streamlined processes
• Communicating benefits of metadata to the broader
  business
• Defining a profile that aligns to business need
• Good understanding of ISO 19139, ISO 19115 is
  required
• Remediation of metadata for existing datasets
• Existing metadata / new metadata
• Complexity
• The complexity of this area should not be
  underestimated!!!
• A MET for your business
• IP for the MET Vested with the Commonwealth
• Request permission for use from
  iie.nsims_at_defence.gov.au
• Or build your own or .