Re: Metadata policy

[Shawn Callahan <cfa@ozemail.com.au>]

Andrew

Like yourself I have discovered that getting information into the
metadatabase is probably the greatest challenge in establishing and
maintaining the system.  Yet the irony, as you point out, is that this issue
is rarely discussed.  It surprises me how much time is devoted to working
out what attributes should be included in the database when there is this
more important issue.

You are right when you say it is too costly to stand next to each data
provider and twist their arm until they produce the requisite metadata.  We
have struggled with this problem for last 5 years or so and we believe we
might have some of the answers.

Recently we developed a strategy for creating a spatial data directory for
AGSO.  Our first appraoch was to request geoscientists to describe their
datasets and we accompanied this request with all the standard reasons why
metadata was SO important.  The response for the all too familiar groan.  

It then dawned on us that we weren't appealing to the INDIVIDUALS who were
actually providing the description rather we were outlining how this
activity would benefit the organisation as a whole (an important point but
not the whole story).  We changed tac and focussed on the geoscientific
dataset rather than the metadata and established the dataset as another
publication type a scientist could produce.  Part of the publication
process, of course, required a dataset description to be submitted to the
AGSO Dataset Editor.  Individuals who created a dataset publication would be
rewarded through the AGSO merit promotion scheme, be part of the performance
appraisal system and be recognised in organisation documents such as the
Annual Report and the AGSO web page.

Once the individual was addressed as part of the process we found we
received very positive feedback.  This is a very cut down version of what we
developed but we did write our method up and it was presented earlier this
year in the First IEEE Metadata Conference in the US.  All the documents are
published on the web at
http://www.nml.org/resources/misc/metadata/proceedings/meta_home.html

A couple of things we learnt was the metadatabase must be part of a system
that is critical to the success of the organisation.  Publications are vital
to AGSO's success and scientists are highly motivated to be published. 

Don't forget it is people who provide metadata - not organisations.  Yes, we
must have the organisational benefits outlined but if the benefits to the
individual are not delineated it plumet to the lowest priority task.
Describing datasets is not fun.

Regards


Shawn Callahan


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Shawn Callahan                             SMS Consulting Group
cfa@ozemail.com.au                Level 11, Advance Bank Centre
Phone +61 6 243 4832                    60 Marcus Clarke Street
fax   +61 6 243 5183                        Canberra  ACT  2601
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