Code List (Flat Vocabulary)

Definition of Code List

A type of flat controlled vocabularyA managed list of terms. In the context of vocabularies, management typically includes careful selection of terms, maintenance of terms over time (i.e. addition, deprecation, modification), and presentation of the vocabulary in an accessible format. Related Guide consisting of a set of codes and their meanings, in use in a specific project.

Discussion

Like the gazetteer, a code list is a very specific type of vocabulary. A code list is a set of codes in use in a project, and their meanings. The codes could be computer-readable, or human-readable, or a hybrid of computer and human readable. Code lists allow users to interpret the metadataData 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. Related Guide.

Example - GCMD Sensors Vocabulary (Instrument Keywords)

AIRS > Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
AIS > Arizona Imager Spectrograph
AMI > Active Microwave Instrument
ATM > Airborne Topographic Mapper
BIONESS > Bedford Institute of Oceanography Net Environmental Sampling System
CAPS > Cloud, Aerosol, Precipitation Spectrometer
CERES > Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System
CPA > Charged Particle Analyzer
CPC > Cloud Particle Counter
CRS > Cloud Radar System
DIAL > Differential Absorption Lidar
EPIC > Energetic Particle and Ion Composition (Geotail)
ERB > Earth Radiation Budget
GLAS > Geoscience Laser Altimeter System
GOLF > Global Oscillations at Low Frequencies
GSD > Germanium Semiconductor Detector
KBR > K-Band Ranging system
LIP > Lightning Instrument Package
LIS > Lightning Imaging Sensor
MACAWS > Multicenter Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Profiling Wind Sensor
MBLA > Multi-Beam Laser Altimeter
MWA > Multiple Water Analyzer
NMLR > Nebraska Multiband Leaf Radiometer
OPC > Optical Plankton Counter
ORG > Optical Rain Gauge
PALS > Passive and Active L- and S-Band System
PARABOLA > Portable Apparatus Rapid Acquisition Bidirectional Observ Land and Atmos
ROWS > Radar Ocean Wave Spectrometer
SAR > Synthetic Aperture Radar
SLAR > Side-Looking Airborne Radar
SOPA > Synchronous Orbit Particle Analyzer
SOUP > Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter
TEAMS > Time of Flight Energy Angle Mass Spectrometer
USO > Ultra-Stable Oscillator
WFC > Wide Field Camera
WS > Wind Scatterometer

This list of codes represents human-readable codes, and what they actually mean. Notice this list is formatted in a very human-friendly way - code > definition.

Example - CDI Sea Search (SeaDataNet) Vocabularies (FTP Site - seasearch_category.csv)

"CODE","TITLE"
"B005","Bacteria and viruses"
"B007","Biota composition"
"B015","Birds, mammals and reptiles"
"B020","Fish"
"B025","Microzooplankton"
"B027","Other biological measurements"
"B030","Phytoplankton"
"B035","Pigments"
"B040","Zoobenthos"
"B045","Zooplankton"
"C003","Amino acids"
"C005","Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus"
"C010","Carbonate system"
"C015","Dissolved gases"
"C017","Fatty acids"
"C020","Halocarbons (including freons)"
"C025","Hydrocarbons"
"C030","Isotopes"
"C035","Metal concentrations"
"C040","Nutrients"
"C045","Other inorganic chemical measurements"
"C050","Other organic chemical measurements"
"C055","PCBs and organic micropollutants"
"D005","Acoustics"
"D015","Optical properties"
"D025","Water column temperature and salinity"
"D020","Other physical oceanographic measurements"
"D030","Currents"
"D032","Sea level"
"D034","Waves"
"G005","Gravity, magnetics and bathymetry"
"G010","Sediment properties"
"G012","Sonar and seismics"
"G015","Suspended particulate matter"
"G020","Sedimentary rock geochemistry and geochronology"
"G025","Igneous and metamorphic rock geochemistry and geochronology"
"M005","Atmospheric chemistry"
"M010","Meteorology"
"M015","Cryosphere"
"O005","Fluxes"
"O010","Rate measurements (including production, excretion and grazing)"
"T001","Terrestrial"
"Z005","Administration and dimensions"

In this example, the codes are largely computer-readable. Originally formatted as comma-separated valuesMetadata values are the content connected to metadata labels in a metadata element. For example, if the metadata label is "date", the metadata value could be "May 13, 2007". Related Guide (seasearch_categories.csv) in a text file, this code list provides a human-understandable interpretation of computer-readable codes.