Metadata Standards Symposium and Workshop

Center for Marine Biodiversity, Bedford Institute of Oceanography

Integrated and ecosystem-based management, as currently being pursued in the Gulf of Maine, the Scotian Shelf and Canada's Arctic, all rely heavily on information products (e.g. ecosystem overview and assessment reports) derived from the synthesis of a wide variety of data being collected and managed by others. Metadata are beyond a doubt the most critically important key factor in ensuring that data are used effectively beyond satisfying the initial investigations.

To this end, we propose a symposium and workshops to address the use of metadata standards to achieve data interoperability. The symposium portion of this event is expected to give the providers and users of data on marine organisms and physical processes an opportunity to improve their understanding of how present day metadata standards and associated systems might be used to enhance the quality of their work. This is particularly important when it comes to the sharing of data between disparate and often remote systems.

The primary focus will be oral presentations and panel discussions by technology specialists presently engaged in the creation, operation and use of various open access metadata systems and or portals. There will be ample time for hands on demonstrations.