Dictionary of Metadata Terminology and Acronyms

This dictionary provides metadata-related definitions for the terms used on this web site, and a guide to common acronyms.

In some cases definitions used by the larger marine metadata community may be different than those used by this site; in such cases, the difference is indicated. In many cases this page provides a metadata-centric definition for a term that has wider meetings (e.g., 'dictionary'); such cases begin with the phrase 'In the context of metadata'.

Metadata-Related Definitions

Authority File

A type of flat controlled vocabulary that consists of a list of labels and values that establishes the acceptable values that can be inserted into a particular parameter. Read more...

Clearinghouse

In the context of metadata, a decentralized system of servers accessible through the Internet which provide standardized metadata to facilitate query and consistent presentation across multiple participating sites.

Classes

Grouping of metadata values, based on shared criteria. Read more...

Code List

A type of flat controlled vocabulary consisting of a set of codes and their meanings, in use in a specific project. Read more...

Content Standard

A list or hierarchy of required metadata elements to be included in the metadata description.

Controlled Vocabulary

A set of metadata terms that are accepted, defined and managed. Read more...

Crosswalk

Documents that map metadata elements between different metadata standards. Read more...

Dictionary

In the context of metadata, a dictionary is a type of controlled flat vocabulary, which provides a list of metadata terms, definitions and additional information within a specific domain. Read more...

Discovery

Use of metadata values or vocabularies to identify metadata or data sets. Read more...

Flat Vocabulary

A managed list of acceptable metadata values that associates acceptable values with particular metadata elements. Flat vocabularies include authority files, glossaries, dictionaries, code lists, and gazetteers. Read more...

Formal Metadata

Metadata that conforms to a specific standard, with consistent collection criteria, terminology and structure. Read more...

Format Standard

A description of the digital storage and structural requirements of metadata which assures that different software programs are able to read or query the data.

Gazetteer

In the context of metadata, a gazetteer is a very specific type of flat controlled vocabulary - a geographic term list. Read more...

Glossary

A type of flat controlled vocabulary containing a list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Read more...

Harmonization

In the context of crosswalking, metadata schema representing the source and the target standards or vocabularies are represented in the same syntax during harmonization. Read more...

Ingest

In the context of metadata, the ingest process is the method by which metadata is read into a system (i.e. a database import).

Machine-Readable

One of the essential criteria of metadata, machine readability means the descriptive information contained in the metadata can be discovered, ingested, and presented by an electronic system. Read more...

Metadata

Data about data. Metadata provides a context for research findings, ideally in a machine-readable format. It enables discovery of data via an electronic interface, and correct use and attribution of findings. Read more...

Metadata Element

Individual descriptor that is included in a metadata template. For example, "creator" is a metadata element. Metadata elements are sometimes called metadata parameters, properties, or fields. Read more...

Metadata Extension

Addition to a metadata standard that allows users to provide information in additional fields, or additional ways, that were not mentioned in the original standard. Read more...

Metadata Instance

A syntactically correct document that provides metadata in a standards-compliant manner (in contrast to 'content standard instance', which is an existing content standard).

Metadata Interoperability

The ability of two or more information systems to exchange metadata with minimal loss of information. Read more...

Metadata Profile

The community-specific application of a metadata standard. Read more...

Metadata Specification

Any description of how to store metadata. Specifications have no limitations on the level of required documentation and no requirement for formal approval, publishing or governance by a broad community-based organisation. Read more...

Metadata Standard

A set of documented rules which define the creation of metadata by providing a combination of terminology (vocabularies), syntactical rules, format rules, and other requirements. Metadata standards are approved, published and governed by a formal body or organization with broad community-based representation (international or national). Read more...

Metadata Value

Metadata values are the informative data connected to metadata elements in a metadata record. For example, if the metadata element is "date", the metadata value could be "May 13, 2007". Read more...

Multi-Level Vocabulary

A managed list of acceptable values, where the values are organized into categories. Multi-Level vocabularies include taxonomies and subject headings. Read more...

Ocean Observing Network

Connected system of data collection nodes

Ontology

A type of relational controlled vocabulary, which provides for categories, relationships, rules and axioms among metadata values. Typically a hierarchy of terms, an ontology is a machine-readable way of relating metadata terminology. Read more...

Protocol

A strategy for transmitting data between systems. A protocol can be used not only over the internet, between computers, but also between applications running anywhere. Read more...

Provenance

The record of how a particular metadata value or record came to be. Provenance can include things like when the record was created, accessed or modified.

Relationship(s)

Connections between metadata values within a vocabulary. These relationships can connect values by scope, provenance, or other well-defined criteria.

Relational Vocabulary

Managed list of acceptable values that makes use of relationships between metadata values. Relational vocabularies include thesauri, semantic networks and ontologies. Read more...

Rules

In the context of crosswalking, rules are used to map elements from the source schema to the target schema, when there is not a one-to-one relationship between schema during the rules phase. Read more...

Scalability

The ability of a metadata system to expand. Well-designed systems are established with the flexibility to scale up to larger data sets, enhanced metadata requirements, and a variety of growth factors.

Schema

In the context of metadata, a description of the data represented within a database.

Semantic Framework

The backbone of the semantic web, the semantic framework makes use of computer-interpretable programming languages, such as XML, to serve up information on the network.

Semantic Interoperability

The ability of multiple systems to exchange information in useful ways; in particular, the ability for each system to 'understand' the terms of the other sufficiently to use those terms correctly. Read more...

Semantic Mapping

In the context of crosswalking, elements in the source schema are explicitly mapped to elements in the target schema during semantic mapping. Read more...

Semantic Web

The transformation of the web from an inherently human-interpretable medium to an inherently computer-interpretable medium. In the semantic web, machines can read and understand the content published in the network.

Semantic Network

A type of relational controlled vocabulary consisting of lists of values/concepts and directed relationships. Read more...

Subject Heading

A type of multi-level controlled vocabulary in which metadata values are classified into categories which may be broad classes. Read more...

Taxonomy

A multi-level controlled vocabulary in which metadata values are grouped according to subject-specific classes, usually hierarchical. Read more...

Thesaurus

In the context of metadata, a type of relational controlled vocabulary which provides a list of metadata terms, with specific relationships between the terms. Read more...

Transformation

In the context of crosswalking, metadata records are created from the source in the target schema during transformation. Read more...

Usage

Use of metadata values or vocabularies to use or analyze metadata or data sets. Read more...

Vocabulary

A set of terms (e.g., words) that are used in a specific community. Read more...

Vocabulary Mapping

Synonymous with crosswalking

Web Service

Standardized way of integrating Web-based applications using open standards over an Internet protocol backbone. Web services share business logic, data and processes through a programmatic interface across a network. The applications interface, not the users. Read more...

Acronym Dictionary

• ANSI : American National Standards Institute
• API : Application Program Interface
• ASCII : American Standard Code for Information Interchange
• BODC : British Oceanographic Data Center
• CoRIS : Coral Reef Information System
• CSDGM : Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
• CTD : Conductivity - Temperature - Depth
• CV : Controlled Vocabulary
• DCMI : Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
• DL : Description Logistics
• DLESE : Digital Library for Earth System Education
• DMAC : Data Management And Communications
• DOI : Digital Object Identifier
• DTD : Document Type Definition
• ER : Entity-Relational (as in Entity-Relational Diagram)
• ERESE : Enduring Resources for Earch Science Education
• FGDC : Federal Geographic Data Committee
• GCMD : Global Change Master Directory
• GIS : Geographic Information System
• GML : Geography Markup Language
• GUI : Graphical User Interface
• HTML : HyperText Markup Language
• IEEE : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• IOOS : Integrated Ocean Observing System
• ISO : International Standards Organization
• LC : Library of Congress
• MARC : MAchine Readable Cataloging
• MB37 : MultiBeam 37
• MBARI : Monterey Bay Aquarium and Research Institution
• METS : Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standards
• MMI : Marine Metadata Interoperability
• MOOS : Monterey Ocean Observing System
• MUSE : MOOS Upper-Water-Column Science Experiment
• NBII : National Biological Information Infrastructure
• NetCDF : Network Common Data Format
• NISO : National Information Standards organization
• NOAA : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• NSDI : National Spatial Digital Infrastructure
• OAI : Open Archives Initiative
• OAI - PMH : Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting
• OCLC : Online Computer Library Center
• OGC : Open Geospatial Consortium
• OWL : Ontology Working Language
• PMH : Protocol for Metadata Harvesting
• PURL : Persistent Uniform Resource Locator
• QA : Quality Assurance
• QC : Quality Control
• RDF : Resource Description Framework
• SDSC : San Diego Supercomputer Center
• SGML : Standard Generalized Markup Language
• SIO : Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• SKOS : Simple Knowledge Organization System
• SOAP : Simple Object Access Protocol
• SRL : Semantic Rule Language
• SST : Sea Surface Temperature
• SUB : State and University Library
• SVN : SubVersioN
• UDDI : Universal Description, Discovery and Integration
• UML : Unified Modeling Language
• URI : Uniform Resource Identifier
• URL : Uniform Resource Locator
• URN : Uniform Resource Name
• USGS : United States Geological Survey
• VINE : Vocabulary INtegration Environment Tool
• W3C : World Wide Web Consortium
• WHOI : Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• WFS : Web Feature Service
• WSDL : Web Services Description Language
• XBT : eXpendable BathyThermograph
• XML : eXtensible Markup Language
• XSL : eXtensible Stylesheet Language

Additional Metadata Glossaries on the Internet

• Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) Glossary
• Introduction to Metadata, Pathways to Digital Information, Available from the Research at the Getty