Metadata. Even if you don’t work in an IT or information environment, you’ve likely heard this term bandied about in passing. But what does it mean, exactly? What is it and why is it important within the context of information related searching? Well, metadata can be defined thusly (*from http://geology.usgs.gov):
Metadata consist of information that characterizes data. Metadata are used to provide documentation for data products
Ok, but what is it really?
To expand, and simplify, the explanation above: Metadata describes other data. It provides information about a certain item’s content. It provides a way to link pieces of information together and allow internet browsers and or search engines to quickly find the information an individual may be looking for – in essence, it is a controlled vocabulary to assist in searching and organizing data.
Metadata is employed to describe the context, content and structure of materials. Those materials might be books, photographs, archival records, audiotapes, video content, personal information, etc. The underlying concepts of metadata have been in existence as long as people have been collecting and organizing information about just about anything.
For an example, you can view metadata about yourself when viewing your monthly bill from your internet service provider – all of the metadata you would require to pay your bill is right in front of you:
Your name, your address, zip code, your account number, the billing period and the internet service charges you’ve accrued within that period (balance owing), any outstanding charges and the due date.
All of the above information is how your internet service provider keeps track of who you are, what services you use, and what you owe – without the organized data it would be almost impossible for them to bill you accurately from month to month.
Perhaps an easier way to impress what metadata is would be to cite the example of a telephone book or library – both involve a user searching for a specific piece of information using other pieces of information; you seek a telephone number in the phone book and search for it using the data you already know such as a last name or address; a library works in a similar fashion as you use things such as subject, keywords, title, or author first and last names to seek out information.
How is it created?
Metadata can generally be created in two ways – by use of information processing software or manually. Beyond that, there is really no single industry-wide standard for how the metadata is created – a company that manages digital assets may categorize information very differently than an online image database would and so on. It is usually created at the same time as the creation of an object; it can also be after the fact as part of a cataloging process.
How does it influence the internet?
Using the internet to search for information is really nothing more than matching the words used in a search query to the words in a document. One of the greatest barriers to locating information is choosing the right terminology – if the users search terms do not match the words used to catalog a document, the user will likely not be able to locate the document. This is where metadata comes in.
Metadata can improve the precision and accuracy of a user’s search query by using the same standard term or terms for each occurrence of a subject – this is helpful because it means the user may spend less time wading through page after page of search results filled with information that they aren’t looking for. Metadata takes the notion of “needle in a haystack” searching and makes it less daunting and time consuming – metadata was created in an attempt to encourage search engines to extract and index data in a more structured and organized manner.
Evolution – The future of metadata
Metadata has become the most vital component in the construction of modern information systems; as technology continues to evolve and improve the importance of metadata for organization is not likely to decrease. If anything, evolution of controlled vocabularies will take on greater importance as the need to catalog information in every form will become more prevalent as time continues; the number of people on the planet, and the things they create – objects such as literature, film, photographs, etc. – will necessitate the continuance of recording and organizing information for some time.
Jake Athey is a representative of Widen. By choosing Widen you’ll take the pain out of getting organized. We provide you with web based digital asset management software, scalable cloud service, guided implementation and training, security, and much, much more. Visit us online today for more infomation.
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