GEOSPATIAL METADATA IN THE GEOSCIENCES

With increasing power of computing hardware and software, geoscientists find that their data can be put to use by an increasingly diverse audience. One consequence of this widespread application is that geoscientists now need to document the content of their data for the public as well as for other geoscientists.

Answering this need are concepts, methods, and technologies for documenting data developed by the geographic information systems (GIS) community over the past decade. While some of the terminology used by GIS practitioners may at first appear foreign to geologists, the concepts represented are well known to most researchers who manage geospatial data. Likewise GIS itself has a natural focus on geographical analysis, while geoscientists focus on ensuring that people understand the nature and meaning of the scientific observations. Despite these differences in focus, the standards, methods, and tools for geospatial metadata are comprehensive and work well for documenting geoscientific data.

Data originating in research organizations are developed using processes and people as diverse as the topics geologists study. Many geoscientists do not use GIS. Consequently flexible tools, techniques, and workflow strategies benefit geoscience organizations more than rigid policies and procedures. But the value added by ensuring consistency in data documentation improves usability both within and outside the research organization.