Formal metadata information and software > CSDGM 1994 (superseded)
This document has been superseded. Everyone should refer instead to the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, officially known as FGDC-STD-001-1998, dated June 1998, at the web site of the Federal Geographic Data Committee.

5: Entity and Attribute Information -- information about the information content of the data set, including the entities types, their attributes, and the domains from which attribute values may be assigned.

Syntax:

Entity_and_Attribute_Information =
[Detailed_Description | Overview_Description | Detailed_Description + Overview_Description]
Detailed_Description =
1{Entity_Type + 0{Attribute}n }n
Entity_Type =
Entity_Type_Label + Entity_Type_Definition + Entity_Type_Definition_Source
Attribute =
Attribute_Label + Attribute_Definition + Attribute_Definition_Source + 1{Attribute_Domain_Values}n + 0{Attribute_Units_of_Measure}1 + (Attribute_Measurement_Resolution) + (1{Beginning_Date_of_Attribute_Values + 0{Ending_Date_of_Attribute_Values}1}n ) + (Attribute_Value_Accuracy_Information) + (Attribute_Measurement_Frequency)
Attribute_Domain_Values =
[Enumerated_Domain | Range_Domain | Codeset_Domain | Unrepresentable_Domain]
Enumerated_Domain =
1{Enumerated_Domain_Value + Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition + Enumerated_Domain_Value_Definition_Source + 0{Attribute}n }n
Range_Domain =
Range_Domain_Minimum + Range_Domain_Maximum + 0{Attribute}n
Codeset_Domain=
Codeset_Name + Codeset_Source
Attribute_Value_Accuracy_Information =
Attribute_Value_Accuracy + Attribute_Value_Accuracy_Explanation
Overview_Description =
1{Entity_and_Attribute_Overview + 1{Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation}n }n

Semantics:

Detailed Description -- 5.1
description of the entities, attributes, attribute values, and related characteristics encoded in the data set. Compound.
Entity Type -- 5.1.1
the definition and description of a set into which similar entity instances are classified. Compound.
Entity Type Label -- 5.1.1.1
the name of the entity type.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Entity Type Definition -- 5.1.1.2
the description of the entity type.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Entity Type Definition Source -- 5.1.1.3
the authority of the definition.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Attribute -- 5.1.2
a defined characteristic of an entity. Compound.
Attribute Label -- 5.1.2.1
the name of the attribute.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Attribute Definition -- 5.1.2.2
the description of the attribute.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Attribute Definition Source -- 5.1.2.3
the authority of the definition.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Attribute Domain Values -- 5.1.2.4
the valid values that can be assigned for an attribute. Compound.
Enumerated Domain -- 5.1.2.4.1
the members of an established set of valid values. Compound.
Enumerated Domain Value -- 5.1.2.4.1.1
the name or label of a member of the set.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Enumerated Domain Value Definition -- 5.1.2.4.1.2
the description of the value.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Enumerated Domain Value Definition Source -- 5.1.2.4.1.3
the authority of the definition.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Range Domain -- 5.1.2.4.2
the minimum and maximum values of a continuum of valid values. Compound.
Range Domain Minimum -- 5.1.2.4.2.1
the least value that the attribute can be assigned.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Range Domain Maximum -- 5.1.2.4.2.2
the greatest value that the attribute can be assigned.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Codeset Domain -- 5.1.2.4.3
reference to a standard or list which contains the members of an established set of valid values. Compound.
Codeset Name -- 5.1.2.4.3.1
the title of the codeset.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Codeset Source -- 5.1.2.4.3.2
the authority for the codeset.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Unrepresentable Domain -- 5.1.2.4.4
description of the values and reasons why they cannot be represented.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Attribute Units of Measurement -- 5.1.2.5
the standard of measurement for an attribute value.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Attribute Measurement Resolution -- 5.1.2.6
the smallest unit increment to which an attribute value is measured.
Type: real
Domain: Attribute Measurement Resolution > 0.0
Beginning Date of Attribute Values -- 5.1.2.7
earliest or only date for which the attribute values are current. In cases when a range of dates are provided, this is the earliest date for which the information are valid.
Type: date
Domain: free date
Ending Date of Attribute Values -- 5.1.2.8
latest date for which the information are current. Used in cases when a range of dates are provided.
Type: date
Domain: free date
Attribute Value Accuracy Information -- 5.1.2.9
an assessment of the accuracy of the assignment of attribute values. Compound.
Attribute Value Accuracy -- 5.1.2.9.1
an estimate of the accuracy of the assignment of attribute values.
Type: real
Domain: free real
Attribute Value Accuracy Explanation -- 5.1.2.9.2
the definition of the Attribute Value Accuracy measure and units, and a description of how the estimate was derived.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Attribute Measurement Frequency -- 5.1.2.10
the frequency with which attribute values are added.
Type: real
Domain: "Unknown" "As needed" "Irregular" "None planned" free text
Overview Description -- 5.2
summary of, and citation to detailed description of, the information content of the data set. Compound.
Entity and Attribute Overview -- 5.2.1
detailed summary of the information contained in a data set.
Type: text
Domain: free text
Entity and Attribute Detail Citation -- 5.2.2
reference to the complete description of the entity types, attributes, and attribute values for the data set.
Type: text
Domain: free text
USGS tools and info for formal metadata
This page is http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/standard/
Maintained by Peter Schweitzer
Last updated 20-Jul-1998