Metadata policy

["Andrew Burke" <andrewb@ilipis01.dola.wa.gov.au>]

I put this message to the NSDI List last week because I can see a lot 
of work being done on the technical aspects of metadata, but very 
little on maintaining accuracy.   I think it has relevance to this 
discussion list.

The Western Australian Land Information System (WALIS) has operated a land 
information directory for six years.  (now on the web at http://www.walis.wa.gov
.au).  Contributions from agencies participating in WALIS have basically 
been voluntary. The only sure way we have had of getting metadata is 
to visit agencies and  collect the metadata ourselves.

This is an expensive option and doesn't encourage agencies to be 
responsible for their own metadata for their own agency specific 
reasons.   

We therefore want to develop government policy that will guide 
agencies in the collection and use of metadata ,

  identify responsibilities for collecting and providing metadata in a form
useable by others as well as responsibilities for historical data,

  and generally promote the use of metadata as a very good data management
exercise.     

There is plenty of excellent work being done on what should be in metadata 
and how it should be structured and  presented, but there is little on
how to encourage correct metadata collection and  use.

I've read theUSA's  Executive Order but think we want to go a step 
further.  If there anyone who has identified this need and done some work on it 
I'd appreciate hearing from you.

I summarised the responses below.

Thanks for your responses.  In some ways its good to know we are not 
alone,however it would be good if someone had already started to beat 
the pth!!

 Many suggested that funds and legislation were the only ways to go. 
 I disagree what we are telking about is a fundamentally different 
way of doing things because we are now in a digital world.  Without 
metadata a lot of our work will come to nought unless we provide 
accurate metadata.
 
It seems surprising that many have recognised the problem, and yet 
are still struggling with the solution.  We're not excluded from that 
either. We've spent five years slowly building up the Western 
Australian directory of metadata mostly through our own efforts. Its 
only now that different agencies are slowly beginning to recognise the 
advantages of metadata.  The main reasons they have for doing this are
 below and they have little to do with helping users understand their data.  

Data management   -   Many of them are accumulating large volumes of data 
which they have scattered around in various locations and formats. This is
 hardly efficient. Our agencies are now looking for a robust directory of matadat
a that will help them manage their own data for their own internal reasons.  
We are working to ensure they use the same tools and metadata standards 
because we want a Western Australian Land Information Directory rather
 than individual agency efforts because it will be far more useful to everyone 
in that format.

Liability   -    At sometime agencies will be faced with a lawsuit because
 somebody used their data incorrectly with awful consequences.  Wouldn't 
reasonable metadata including reference to quality alleviate some of that problem?

Government policy   -    Its our Government's policy that work should be
 outsourced to the private sector, especially if it isn't core business.  Its
 anomalous therefore if private organisations get government owrk to do but
 can't locate government information to allow them to do the work.

Private sector   - the private sector is also demanding a good directory of 
metadata to help them locate government information suitable for their own
 needs.  This demand is having an effect on our priority setting.

I don't think legislation is a good idea. If your legislature is like ours such a 
suggestion would have a very low priority.

Others have suggested that labour should be put where it can be used most 
efficiently.  In other words have specialist data managers who understand 
metadata and can put it together because those that put the data together often 
don't have the time or the skills to do so them selves.  Thats a good idea, but
 much of our data collection is base information products (eg cadastre, planning
 zones, geology, soils, vegetation) by agencies specialising in specific datasets.  
They do have the expertise to produce the metadata.  

We'll continue with the development of a policy and if anyone else 
has any ideas or successes on ozmeta -1 we' d be happy to hear from them.
Cheers

ANDREW BURKE
DIRECTOR, WALIS PROGRAM
Ph +61 9 273-7046  Fax  +61 9 273-7691
andrewb@ilipis01.dola.wa.gov.au