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Guide
to FGDC metadata format and terminology |
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The
Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) provides a standard
for the documentation of digital geospatial data. The standard
determines the names of data elements and compound
elements (groups of data elements) that are required.
Additionally, the standard provides the definitions of these
elements and provides information regarding the values that
are intended to be presented for the data elements.
The FGDC standard for the documentation of digital geospatial
data is referenced in Executive Order 12906 which states,
"Standardized Documentation of Data, ... each agency
shall document all new geospatial data it collects or produces,
either directly or indirectly, using the standard under development
by the FGDC, and make that standardized documentation electronically
accessible to the Clearinghouse network." To meet the
requirements of this executive order, FGDC compliant metadata
has been created for each of the GIS datasets included in
the RRGIS. |
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- Identification_Information
- Information in this section includes the name of the data
set, the data set developer, the geographic area covered
by the data, how current the data is as well as whether
or not there are any restrictions on using the data. A textual
description including an abstract, purpose, and constraints
may be included in this section.
- Data Quality
Information - A general assessment of the quality of
the data set.
- Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
- Information such as the data model used to encode the
spatial data, how many spatial objects there are, and what
methods, other than coordinates are used to encode locations.
The appearance and structure of this section is reliant
upon the data representation method (raster, vector).
- Spatial_Reference_Information
- The purpose of this section is to provide the user with
information such as the encoding system for coordinate locations
(e.g. lat./long.), specific grid systems and map projections
which may have been used. The horizontal and vertical datums
used as well as the parameters to be used when converting
the data are also included in this section.
- Entity_and_Attribute_Information
- The geographic information described by the dataset (such
as soil type, elevations, habitat type, etc.) is described
in this section. How the data was encoded, what codes were
used and the definitions of these codes are also included
in this section. Additional information relevant to this
section includes units of measurement used, minimum/maximum
field values and field definitions. Depending on the complexity
of the attribute tables, this section may be fairly extensive.
- Distribution_Information
- Section 5 provides the user with the information of where
the data may be obtained, the cost (if any) and the format
the user may expect the data to be in. Distributor contact
and liability information are described when appropriate
in this section.
- Metadata_Reference_Information
- This final section provides the user with the identity
of, and means to communicate with, persons and organizations
associated with the data set. If a particular person or
division of an organization is more greatly associated with
a certain data set, this section is the appropriate area
to make such a note.
- Identification_Information:
-
- Citation:
Information to be used to reference
the data set.
-
- Citation_Information:
The recommended reference
to be used for the data set.
-
- Originator:
-
The name of an organization or individual that
developed the data set.
- Publication_Date:
-
The date when the data set is published or otherwise
made available for release.
- Title:
The name by which the
data set is known.
- Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form:
Data type indication (vector,
raster).
- Online_Linkage:
The name of an online
computer resource that contains the data set.
Entries should follow the Uniform Resource Locator
convention of the Internet.
- Description:
A characterization of the data
set, including its intended use and limitations.
-
- Abstract:
A brief narrative summary
of the data set.
- Purpose:
-
A summary of the intentions with which the data
set was developed.
- Time_Period_of_Content:
Time period(s) for which the data
set corresponds to the ground.
-
- Time_Period_Information:
Information about the date
and time of an event.
-
- Single_Date/Time:
Means of encoding a single
date and time.
-
- Calendar_Date:
-
The year (and optionally month, or month
and day) for which the data set corresponds
to the ground.
- Currentness_Reference:
-
The basis on which the time period of content information
is determined.
- Status:
The state of and maintenance information
for the data set.
-
- Progress:
The state of the data set.
- Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency:
-
The frequency with which changes and additions are
made to the data set after the initial data set
is completed.
- Spatial_Domain:
The geographic aerial domain of
the data set.
-
- Bounding_Coordinates:
The limits of coverage of a data set expressed by
latitude and longitude values in the order western-most,
eastern-most, northern-most, and southern-most.
For data sets that include a complete band of latitude
around the earth, the West Bounding Coordinate shall
be assigned the value -180.0, and the East Bounding
Coordinate shall be assigned the value 180.0.
-
- West_Bounding_Coordinate:
Western-most coordinate
of the limit of coverage expressed in longitude.
- East_Bounding_Coordinate:
Eastern-most coordinate
of the limit of coverage expressed in longitude.
- North_Bounding_Coordinate:
Northern-most coordinate
of the limit of coverage expressed in latitude.
- South_Bounding_Coordinate:
Southern-most coordinate
of the limit of coverage expressed in latitude.
- Keywords:
Words or phrases summarizing an
aspect of the data set.
-
- Theme:
Subjects covered by the data
set.
-
- Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:
-
Reference to a formally registered thesaurus
or a similar authoritative source of theme keywords.
- Theme_Keyword:
-
Common-use word or phrase used to describe the
subject of the data set.
- Access_Constraints:
- Restrictions
and legal prerequisites for accessing the data set.
- Use_Constraints:
- Restrictions
and legal prerequisites for using the data set after
access is granted.
- Native_Data_Set_Environment:
A description of the data set
in the producer's processing environment, including
items such as the name of the software (including version),
the computer operating system, file name (including
host-, path-, and filenames), and the data set size.
-
- Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
The mechanism used to represent spatial
information in the data set.
-
- Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method:
The system of objects used to
represent space in the data set.
- Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:
The types and numbers of vector or nongridded point
spatial objects in the data set.
-
- SDTS_Terms_Description:
Point and vector object information
using the terminology and concepts from "Spatial
Data Concepts," which is Chapter 2 of Part
1 in Department of Commerce, 1992, Spatial Data
Transfer Standard (SDTS) (Federal Information Processing
Standard 173): Washington, Department of Commerce,
National Institute of Standards and Technology.
-
- SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type:
Name of point and vector
spatial objects used to locate zero-, one-,
and two-dimensional spatial locations in the
data set.
- Point_and_Vector_Object_Count:
The total number of the
point or vector object type occurring in the
data set.
- Spatial_Reference_Information:
The description of the reference frame
for, and the means to encode, coordinates in the data set.
-
- Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
The reference frame or system
from which linear or angular quantities are measured
and assigned to the position that a point occupies.
-
- Planar:
The quantities of distances,
or distances and angles, which define the position
of a point on a reference plane to which the surface
of the Earth has been projected.
-
- Grid_Coordinate_System:
A plane-rectangular coordinate
system usually based on, and mathematically
adjusted to, a map projection so that geographic
positions can be readily transformed to and
from plane coordinates.
-
- Grid_Coordinate_System_Name:
Name of the grid coordinate
system.
-
-
- Planar_Coordinate_Information:
Information about the
coordinate system developed on the planar surface.
-
- Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method:
The means used to
represent horizontal positions.
- Coordinate_Representation:
The method of encoding
the position of a point by measuring its
distance from perpendicular reference axes
(the "coordinate pair" and "row
and column" methods).
-
- Abscissa_Resolution:
The (nominal)
minimum distance between the "x"
or column values of two adjacent points,
expressed in Planar Distance Units of
measure.
- Ordinate_Resolution:
The (nominal)
minimum distance between the "y"
or row values of two adjacent points,
expressed in Planar Distance Units of
measure.
- Planar_Distance_Units:
Units of measure used
for distances.
- Geodetic_Model:
Parameters for the shape of
the earth.
-
- Horizontal_Datum_Name:
The identification given
to the reference system used for defining the
coordinates of points.
- Ellipsoid_Name:
Identification given to established representations
of the Earth's shape.
- Semi-major_Axis:
Radius of the equatorial
axis of the ellipsoid.
- Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio:
The denominator of the
ratio of the difference between the equatorial
and polar radii of the ellipsoid when the numerator
is set to 1.
- Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Information about the information
content of the data set, including the entities types, their
attributes, and the domains from which attribute values
may be assigned.
-
- Detailed_Description:
Description of the entities, attributes,
attribute values, and related characteristics encoded
in the data set.
-
- Entity_Type:
Detailed summary of the information
contained in a data set.
-
- Entity_Type_Label:
The name of the entity
type.
- Attribute:
A defined characteristic of
an entity.
-
- Attribute_Label:
The name of the attribute.
- Attribute_Definition:
The description of the
attribute.
- Attribute_Definition_Source:
The authority of the definition.
- Attribute_Domain_Values:
The valid values that
can be assigned for an attribute.
-
- Unrepresentable_Domain:
Description of the
values and reasons why they cannot be represented.
-
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-
- Distribution_Information:
Information about the distributor
and options for obtaining the data set.
-
- Resource_Description:
The identifier by which the distributor
knows the data set.
- Standard_Order_Process:
The common ways in which the data
set may be obtained or received, and related instructions
and fee information.
-
- Digital_Form:
The description of options
for obtaining the data set on computer-compatible
media.
-
- Digital_Transfer_Information:
Description of the form
of the data to be distributed.
-
- Transfer_Size:
The size, or estimated
size, of the transferred data set in megabytes.
- Metadata_Reference_Information:
Information on the currentness of
the metadata information, and the responsible party.
-
- Metadata_Date:
The date that the metadata were
created or last updated.
- Metadata_Contact:
The party responsible for the
metadata information.
-
- Contact_Information:
Identity of, and means to
communicate with, person(s) and organization(s)
associated with the data set.
-
- Contact_Organization_Primary:
The organization, and the member of the organization,
associated with the data set. Used in cases
where the association of the organization to
the data set is more significant than the association
of the person to the data set.
-
- Contact_Organization:
The name of the organization
to which the contact type applies.
-
The organization responsible for the metadata
information.
- Contact_Person:
The person responsible
for the metadata information.
- Contact_Address:
The address for the organization
or individual.
-
- Address_Type:
-
The mailing and/or physical address for
the organization or individual.
- City:
The city of the address.
- State_or_Province:
The state or province
of the address.
- Postal_Code:
The ZIP or other postal
code of the address.
- Contact_Voice_Telephone:
-
The telephone number by which individuals can
speak to the organization or individual.
- Metadata_Standard_Name:
The name of the metadata standard
used to document the data set.
- Metadata_Standard_Version:
Identification of the version
of the metadata standard used to document the data set.
- Metadata_Time_Convention:
Form used to convey time of day
information in the metadata entry. Used if time of day
information is included in the metadata for a data set.
- Metadata_Extensions:
-
- Online_Linkage:
The name of an online computer
resource that contains the data set. Entries should
follow the Uniform Resource Locator convention of
the Internet.
- Profile_Name:
ESRI Metadata Profile
Item
definitions were provided by Tidal Zone Associates, Inc. http://www.tidalzone.com/download/FGDCgroups.html
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