Documenting Projects
The Arctic Research Mapping Application (ARMAP) brings together a multi-disciplinary collection of nearly three thousand NSF funded projects focused on characterizing and understanding the Arctic environment. These projects are described in a standard and structured way using a metadata profile developed during 2011 by the Alaska Data Integration working group (ADIwg). This profile was originally derived from the FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (documentation from the original ADIwg wiki will be available at https://github.com/adiwg/project-metadata-fgdc). It includes a number of fundamental documentation concepts that, taken together, have been proven to make up a successful framework for providing access to information about NSF funded projects in the Arctic region and their geographic distribution. The fundamental project documentation concepts and how these concepts might be shared across a broader community using other metadata dialects are described here.
Project Identification
Identification information is used in the Project Metadata Profile implementation for ARMAP to support two types of information discovery: 1) text searches for titles and 2) unambiguous identification by a number of related organizations. Titles are included in the project citations along with links to project logistics reports (HTML metadata sum-maries). Identifiers are provided from the primary organization responsible for the pro-ject and the host organization (ARMAP in this case). In addition, there is a UUID included that unambiguously identifies the project independently from any organization.
Crosswalks
| Concept | Description | Dialect (Fit) Paths |
|---|---|---|
| Resource Title | A short description of the resource. The title should be descriptive enough so that when a user is presented with a list of titles the general content of the data set can be determined. | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:citation/adiwg:citeinfo/adiwg:title DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Entry_Title ECHO /*/echo:ShortName>/*/echo:LongName FGDC /fgdc:metadata/fgdc:idinfo/fgdc:citation/fgdc:citeinfo/fgdc:title ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:citation/gmd:CI_Citation/gmd:title/gco:CharacterString ISO-1 /*/mdb:identificationInfo/*/rmd:citation/cit:CI_Citation/cit:title/gco:CharacterString |
| Online Resource | Online Resource for the cited resource | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:citation/adiwg:citeinfo/adiwg:onlink DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Data_Set_Citation/dif:Online_Resource DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Reference/dif:Online_Resource ISO //gmd:CI_Citation/gmd:citedResponsibleParty/gmd:CI_ResponsibleParty/gmd:contactInfo/gmd:CI_Contact/gmd:onlineResource/gmd:CI_OnlineResource ISO-1 //cit:CI_Citation/cit:onlineResource/cit:CI_OnlineResource |
| Project Sponsor | The organization responsible for funding the project. | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:ids/adiwg:primorgcode |
| Sponsor Project Identifier | An identifier for the project used by the organization responsible for funding the project. | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:ids/adiwg:primorgproj |
| Project Host | The organization responsible for hosting a project website or including it in a portal. | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:ids/adiwg:hostorgcode |
| Host Project Identifier | An identifier for the project used by the organization responsible for hosting a project website or including it in a portal. | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:ids/adiwg:primorgproj |
| Resource Identifier | Identifier for the resource described by the metadata | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:ids/adiwg:projguid DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Data_Set_Citation/dif:Dataset_DOI DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Reference/dif:DOI ECHO /*/echo:DataSetId ECHO (1) /*/echo:ShortName | /*/echo:LongName ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:citation/gmd:CI_Citation/gmd:identifier/gmd:MD_Identifier/gmd:code/gco:CharacterString ISO-1 //cit:CI_Citation/cit:identifier/cit:MD_Identifier/cit:code |
xPath Note: The xPaths included in this table use several wildcards. // means any path, so //gmd:CI_ResponsibleParty indicates a gmd:CI_ResponsibleParty anywhere in an XML file. /*/ indicates a single level with several possible elements. This usually indicates one of several concrete realizations of an abstract object. For example /*/gmd:identificationInfo could be gmd:MD_Metadata/gmd:identificationInfo or gmi:MI_Metadata/gmd:identificationInfo and gmd:identificationInfo//*/gmd:descriptiveKeywords could be gmd:identificationInfo/gmd:MD_DataIdentification/gmd:descriptiveKeywords or gmd:identificationInfo/srv:SV_ServiceIdentification/gmd:descriptiveKeywords. Fit: The fit of the dialect path with the concept is estimated on a scale of 1 = excellent two-way fit, 2 = one-way fit or some other problem, 3 - extension required.
Project Description
The ARMAP implementation of the Project Metadata Profile includes 1) textual information used to provide brief descriptions of the project and to support text searches and 2) keywords. The textual information has two forms: science descriptions of the project (abstract) and summaries of the logistics, reflecting the importance of logistics in Arctic project planning. There are two types of keywords: theme (from the NSF Discipline List) and place (from the ARMAP database of field projects for the Arctic region).
Crosswalks
| Concept | Description | Dialect (Fit) Paths |
|---|---|---|
| Abstract | A paragraph describing the resource. | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:descript/adiwg:abstract DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Summary/dif:Abstract ECHO /*/echo:Description FGDC /fgdc:metadata/fgdc:idinfo/fgdc:descript/fgdc:abstract ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:abstract/gco:CharacterString ISO-1 /*/mdb:identificationInfo/*/rmd:abstract/gco:CharacterString |
| Keyword | A word or phrase that describes some aspect of a resource. Can be one of several types. Note: The general identification keywords usually have a type of "theme" and are refered to as "theme keywords". Other types and vocabularies are used for other information. |
ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:keywords/adiwg:theme/adiwg:themekey DIF (1) /dif:DIF/dif:Parameters/dif:Category DIF (1) /dif:DIF//dif:Parameters/dif:Topic DIF (1) /dif:DIF//dif:Parameters/dif:Term DIF (1) /dif:DIF//dif:Parameters/dif:Variable_Level_1 DIF (1) /dif:DIF//dif:Parameters/dif:Variable_Level_2 DIF (1) /dif:DIF//dif:Parameters/dif:Variable_Level_3 ECHO (1) /*/echo:ScienceKeywords/echo:ScienceKeyword/echo:CategoryKeyword ECHO (1) /*/echo:ScienceKeywords/echo:ScienceKeyword/echo:TopicKeyword ECHO (1) /*/echo:ScienceKeywords/echo:ScienceKeyword/echo:TermKeyword ECHO (1) /*/echo:ScienceKeywords/echo:ScienceKeyword/echo:VariableLevel1Keyword/echo:Value ECHO (1) /*/echo:ScienceKeywords/echo:ScienceKeyword/echo:VariableLevel2Keyword/echo:Value ECHO (1) /*/echo:ScienceKeywords/echo:ScienceKeyword/echo:VariableLevel3Keyword ECHO (1) /*/echo:ScienceKeywords/echo:ScienceKeyword/echo:DetailedVariableKeyword FGDC (1) /fgdc:metadata/fgdc:idinfo/fgdc:keywords/fgdc:theme/fgdc:themekey ISO (1) /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:descriptiveKeywords/gmd:MD_Keywords[gmd:type/gmd:MD_KeywordTypeCode='theme']/gmd:keyword/gco:CharacterString |
| Keyword Vocabulary | If you are following a guideline or using a shared vocabulary for the words/phrases in your "keywords" attribute, put the name of that guideline here. Note: DIF, ECHO and ECS require that theme keywords come from the Global Change Master Directory list. |
ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:keywords/adiwg:theme/adiwg:themekt ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:descriptiveKeywords/gmd:MD_Keywords/gmd:thesaurusName/gmd:CI_Citation/gmd:title/gco:CharacterString |
xPath Note: The xPaths included in this table use several wildcards. // means any path, so //gmd:CI_ResponsibleParty indicates a gmd:CI_ResponsibleParty anywhere in an XML file. /*/ indicates a single level with several possible elements. This usually indicates one of several concrete realizations of an abstract object. For example /*/gmd:identificationInfo could be gmd:MD_Metadata/gmd:identificationInfo or gmi:MI_Metadata/gmd:identificationInfo and gmd:identificationInfo//*/gmd:descriptiveKeywords could be gmd:identificationInfo/gmd:MD_DataIdentification/gmd:descriptiveKeywords or gmd:identificationInfo/srv:SV_ServiceIdentification/gmd:descriptiveKeywords. Fit: The fit of the dialect path with the concept is estimated on a scale of 1 = excellent two-way fit, 2 = one-way fit or some other problem, 3 - extension required.
Project Contacts
Identifying organizations and people associated with resources is an important role of metadata. Contact information is the most abundant type of information in the ARMAP implementation. It takes several forms: contact people responsible for executing the projects, other kinds of related organizations and people (collaborators, funders and (co-) principle investigators), and metadata creators.
Crosswalks
| Concept | Description | Dialect (Fit) Paths |
|---|---|---|
| Metadata Contact | The organization or person currently responsible for the metadata. | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:metainfo/adiwg:metc DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Personnel[dif:Role='DIF AUTHOR'] DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Originating_Metadata_Node ECHO /*/echo:ArchiveCenter ISO /*/gmd:contact |
| Resource Contact | The organization or person responsible for answering questions about the resource. | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:ptcontac/adiwg:cntinfo ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:datacred/adiwg:credorg/adiwg:cntinfo ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:datacred/adiwg:credper/adiwg:cntinfo DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Personnel[dif:Role='INVESTIGATOR'] ECHO /*/echo:ArchiveCenter ECHO /*/echo:Contacts/echo:Contact ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:pointOfContact |
xPath Note: The xPaths included in this table use several wildcards. // means any path, so //gmd:CI_ResponsibleParty indicates a gmd:CI_ResponsibleParty anywhere in an XML file. /*/ indicates a single level with several possible elements. This usually indicates one of several concrete realizations of an abstract object. For example /*/gmd:identificationInfo could be gmd:MD_Metadata/gmd:identificationInfo or gmi:MI_Metadata/gmd:identificationInfo and gmd:identificationInfo//*/gmd:descriptiveKeywords could be gmd:identificationInfo/gmd:MD_DataIdentification/gmd:descriptiveKeywords or gmd:identificationInfo/srv:SV_ServiceIdentification/gmd:descriptiveKeywords. Fit: The fit of the dialect path with the concept is estimated on a scale of 1 = excellent two-way fit, 2 = one-way fit or some other problem, 3 - extension required.
Project Extent
Spatial and temporal extents are critical for many map-based searches and for determining project logistics needs. Most map searches rely on spatial bounding boxes and temporal ranges. These work well in many low-latitude situations, but are difficult to use effectively in others. ADIwg’s FGDC inspired Project Metadata Profile includes collection site locations given as lat/lon pairs. This approach works well for projects that are collecting data at particular sites, but may be problematic in others. This is clearly an area where flexibility is required and has been addressed with the adoption of multi-geometry in the ISO Project Metadata Profile.
Crosswalks
| Concept | Description | Dialect (Fit) Paths |
|---|---|---|
| Site | The name or description of the physical location where the data were collected | FGDC /fgdc:metadata/fgdc:idinfo/fgdc:spdom/fgdc:descgeog |
| Site Location | The latitude/longitude/elevation of the physical location where the data were collected | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:spdom/adiwg:Point/adiwg:coordinates |
| Southernmost Latitude | The southernmost latitude of the bounding rectangle. Note: OGC-SOS offering lists may not include the entire dataset. A gml:id attribute can be used to identify the bounding offering. |
DIF (1) /dif:DIF/dif:Spatial_Coverage/dif:Southernmost_Latitude ECHO (1) /*/echo:Spatial/echo:HorizontalSpatialDomain/echo:Geometry/echo:BoundingRectangle/echo:SouthBoundingCoordinate FGDC (1) /fgdc:metadata/fgdc:idinfo/fgdc:spdom/fgdc:bounding/fgdc:southbc ISO (1) /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:extent/gmd:EX_Extent/gmd:geographicElement/gmd:EX_GeographicBoundingBox/gmd:southBoundLatitude/gco:Decimal |
| Northernmost Latitude | The northernmost latitude of the bounding rectangle. Note: OGC-SOS offering lists may not include the entire dataset. A gml:id attribute (e.g. gml:id="network-all") can be used to identify the bounding offering. |
DIF (1) /dif:DIF/dif:Spatial_Coverage/dif:Northernmost_Latitude ECHO (1) /*/echo:Spatial/echo:HorizontalSpatialDomain/echo:Geometry/echo:BoundingRectangle/echo:NorthBoundingCoordinate FGDC (1) /fgdc:metadata/fgdc:idinfo/fgdc:spdom/fgdc:bounding/fgdc:northbc ISO (1) /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:extent/gmd:EX_Extent/gmd:geographicElement/gmd:EX_GeographicBoundingBox/gmd:northBoundLatitude/gco:Decimal |
| Westernmost Longitude | The westernmost longitude of the bounding rectangle. Note: OGC-SOS offering lists may not include the entire dataset. A gml:id attribute can be used to identify the bounding offering. |
DIF (1) /dif:DIF/dif:Spatial_Coverage/dif:Westernmost_Longitude ECHO (1) /*/echo:Spatial/echo:HorizontalSpatialDomain/echo:Geometry/echo:BoundingRectangle/echo:WestBoundingCoordinate FGDC (1) /fgdc:metadata/fgdc:idinfo/fgdc:spdom/fgdc:bounding/fgdc:westbc ISO (1) /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:extent/gmd:EX_Extent/gmd:geographicElement/gmd:EX_GeographicBoundingBox/gmd:westBoundLongitude/gco:Decimal |
| Easternmost Longitude | The easternmost longitude of the bounding rectangle. Note: OGC-SOS offering lists may not include the entire dataset. A gml:id attribute can be used to identify the bounding offering. |
DIF (1) /dif:DIF/dif:Spatial_Coverage/dif:Easternmost_Longitude ECHO (1) /*/echo:Spatial/echo:HorizontalSpatialDomain/echo:Geometry/echo:BoundingRectangle/echo:WestBoundingCoordinate FGDC (1) /fgdc:metadata/fgdc:idinfo/fgdc:spdom/fgdc:bounding/fgdc:eastbc ISO (1) /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:extent/gmd:EX_Extent/gmd:geographicElement/gmd:EX_GeographicBoundingBox/gmd:eastBoundLongitude/gco:Decimal |
| Start Time | The start of the bounding time period | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:timeperd/adiwg:timeinfo/adiwg:rngdates/adiwg:begdate DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Temporal_Coverage/dif:Start_Date ECHO /*/echo:Temporal/echo:RangeDateTime/echo:BeginningDateTime ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:extent/gmd:EX_Extent/gmd:temporalElement/gmd:EX_TemporalExtent/gmd:extent/gml:TimePeriod/gml:beginPosition |
| End Time | The end of the bounding time period | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:timeperd/adiwg:timeinfo/adiwg:rngdates/adiwg:enddate DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Temporal_Coverage/dif:Stop_Date ECHO /*/echo:Temporal/echo:RangeDateTime/echo:EndingDateTime ECHO /*/echo:Temporal/echo:EndsAtPresentFlag ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:extent/gmd:EX_Extent/gmd:temporalElement/gmd:EX_TemporalExtent/gmd:extent/gml:TimePeriod/gml:endPosition |
| Vertical Minimum | The minimum height of the bounding rectangle | DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Spatial_Coverage/dif:Minimum_Altitude DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Spatial_Coverage/dif:Minimum_Depth ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:extent/gmd:EX_Extent/gmd:verticalElement/gmd:EX_VerticalExtent/gmd:minimumValue/gco:Real |
| Vertical Maximum | The maximum height of the bounding rectangle | DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Spatial_Coverage/dif:Maximum_Altitude DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Spatial_Coverage/dif:Maximum_Depth ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:extent/gmd:EX_Extent/gmd:verticalElement/gmd:EX_VerticalExtent/gmd:maximumValue/gco:Real |
| Place Keyword | A comma separated list of key words and phrases that give the location of the resource. Note: Some dialects include keywords, but they do not include mechanisms for identifying the type. In those cases it is difficult to unambiguously identify place keywords. |
ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:keywords/adiwg:place/adiwg:placekey DIF /dif:DIF/dif:Parameters/dif:Category > //dif:Parameters/dif:Topic > //dif:Parameters/dif:Term > //dif:Parameters/dif:Variable_Level_1 > //dif:Parameters/dif:Variable_Level_2 >//dif:Parameters/dif:Variable_Level_3 > //dif:Parameters/dif: > //dif:Parameters/dif:Variable_Level_3 FGDC /fgdc:metadata/fgdc:idinfo/fgdc:keywords/fgdc:place/fgdc:placekey ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:descriptiveKeywords/gmd:MD_Keywords[gmd:type/gmd:MD_KeywordTypeCode='place']/gmd:keyword/gco:CharacterString |
| Place Keyword Vocabulary | If you are following a guideline for the place words/phrases in your "keywords" attribute, put the name of that guideline here. | ADIwg /adiwg:project/adiwg:idinfo/adiwg:keywords/adiwg:place/adiwg:placekt FGDC /fgdc:metadata/fgdc:idinfo/fgdc:keywords/fgdc:place/fgdc:placekt ISO /*/gmd:identificationInfo/*/gmd:descriptiveKeywords/gmd:MD_Keywords[gmd:type/gmd:MD_KeywordTypeCode='place']/gmd:thesaurusName/gmd:CI_Citation/gmd:title/gco:CharacterString |
xPath Note: The xPaths included in this table use several wildcards. // means any path, so //gmd:CI_ResponsibleParty indicates a gmd:CI_ResponsibleParty anywhere in an XML file. /*/ indicates a single level with several possible elements. This usually indicates one of several concrete realizations of an abstract object. For example /*/gmd:identificationInfo could be gmd:MD_Metadata/gmd:identificationInfo or gmi:MI_Metadata/gmd:identificationInfo and gmd:identificationInfo//*/gmd:descriptiveKeywords could be gmd:identificationInfo/gmd:MD_DataIdentification/gmd:descriptiveKeywords or gmd:identificationInfo/srv:SV_ServiceIdentification/gmd:descriptiveKeywords. Fit: The fit of the dialect path with the concept is estimated on a scale of 1 = excellent two-way fit, 2 = one-way fit or some other problem, 3 - extension required.
