The JISC IE Metadata Schema Registry

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The JISC IE Metadata Schema Registry
Pete Johnston UKOLN, University of Bath JISC
Joint Programmes Meeting Brighton, 6-7 July 2004
http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/
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Outline

• What is a metadata schema registry?
• Metadata application profiles
• The JISC IE and the IEMSR

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JISC IE Metadata Schema Registry project (IEMSR)

• Funded under JISC Shared Services programme, Jan
  2004 July 2005
• UKOLN, University of Bath
• ILRT, University of Bristol
• CETIS, Becta as contributing partners
• Main outputs
• Pilot metadata schema registry service for JISC
  IE
• Schema creation tool(s) for implementers (plus
  documentation)
• Open-source software
• Models for metadata "application profiles"
• Recommendations re policy framework

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Metadata Schema Registries

• What is a metadata schema registry?
• Application that provides services based on
  information about metadata vocabularies and their
  component terms
• Metadata vocabulary
• Functional set of terms managed as a unit
  (element set)
• Information provided to registry in the form of
  machine-readable schemas
• Services to human readers, software agents

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IEMSR
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Metadata Schema Registries

• What functions might a metadata schema registry
  support?
• Disclosure of metadata vocabularies, terms
• Discovery/selection (and re-use) of vocabularies,
  terms
• Verification of provenance/status of
  vocabularies, terms
• Navigation of relationships between terms
• Mapping, inferencing
• Pointers to related resources
• guidelines, bindings, transformations

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Why an MSR for JISC IE?

• Effective exchange of metadata essential to
  interoperability in IE
• IE Technical Standards specify "baseline" of
  Simple DC and/or UK LOM Core
• Also exchange of richer metadata between services
• Use of metadata "application profiles"
• Increasing requirement to disclose metadata
  semantics
• Issues of authority, currency, provenance, trust
• N.B. IEMSR concerned with metadata exposed by
  applications, not internal database schemas

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Metadata Application Profiles

• Implementers adopt metadata standards in
  pragmatic way
• Optimise for requirements of application
• "Application profile" as declaration of usage of
  metadata vocabulary
• (re-)use of existing terms
• constrained for context of application
• provided as schema for processing by registry
• tool(s) for schema creation
• Previous work (CORES, MEG registries) primarily
  DC-centric
• IEMSR to disclose LOM APs also
• Require model for LOM AP

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The IEMSR in the IE

• IEMSR as shared/infrastructural service
• Machine interface(s) ("structured")
• Provide functions of common interest to other
  service components (content providers, fusion,
  presentation, other shared services) in IE
• "Common service" in e-Learning Framework

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The IEMSR in the IE

• However metadata exchange in IE currently based
  on prior co-ordination between human data/service
  providers
• IEMSR as presentational service
• Human-readable interface ("unstructured")
• Disclose/discover metadata semantics, usage
• Promote appropriate reuse of existing solutions
• Minimise duplication of effort

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IEMSR Use Scenarios

• Content provision service discloses application
  profile
• Constructs publishes schema, submits to
  registry
• Metadata schema developer explores/(re-) uses
  existing implementation choices
• Human-readable documentation
• Controlled vocabularies used
• Schemas for bindings
• Metadata schema researcher surveys existing usage
  of metadata standards
• How properties/data elements used in practice
  (within domain, community, area)

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IEMSR Use Scenarios

• Metadata creation tool accesses machine-readable
  description of selected application profile
• Obligation/occurrence constraints
• Human-readable documentation
• Controlled vocabularies as e.g. VDEX
• Schemas for bindings
• Aggregation or presentation service requires
  information on application profile
• Which "metadata formats" to request via OAI-PMH
  for bindings of this AP
• What labels to use in display of harvested records

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1. Registry browse menu
http//meg.ukoln.ac.uk/
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2. Display Element Set
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3. Display Element
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4. Display Element Usage
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1. Create Application Profile description
Add AP details
Add AP descriptionto Schema
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2. Create Element Usage description
Search registry fortitle Elements
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3. Create Element Usage description
Add ElementUsage details
Add Element Usage descriptionto Schema
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4. Save Schema as RDF/XML
File -- Save As
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5. Submit Schema to Server
Click to submit
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JISC IE Metadata Schema Registry Project
http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/projects/iemsr/
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Acknowledgements

• UKOLN is funded by the UK Museums, Libraries and
  Archives Council (MLA), the Joint Information
  Systems Committee (JISC) of the UK higher and
  further education funding councils, as well as by
  project funding from the JISC and the European
  Union. UKOLN also receives support from the
  University of Bath where it is based.
• http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/

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The JISC IE Metadata Schema Registry
Pete Johnston UKOLN, University of Bath JISC
Joint Programmes Meeting Brighton, 6-7 July 2004
http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/