Formal metadata: information and software
configFileThis resource identifies the configuration file used for specifying input options and local extensions. The default value for this resource is .mprc, so xtme will look in the current directory for a file with that name.
helpFileThis resource identifies the file containing text intended to assist the user in filling in element values, respectively. The default value for this resource is xtme.hlp, so xtme will look in the current directory for a file with that name.
keyboardFocusPolicyBy default, it matters where the pointer is when you press keys. If you like pointer focus in your window manager, you are probably comfortable moving the mouse around a lot while typing. But if, like me, you prefer click-to-type windows, then you will want to change this value to Explicit. Letter case doesn't matter.
save Write the current file to disk save-as Save the current file under a different name quit Exit the editor without saving ok-save Accept the name given in the save-as dialog cancel-save Cancel the save-as dialog cut Remove the current node, making it the X selection copy Copy the current node, making it the X selection paste Paste metadata from this or another file clear Remove scalar children in the current subtree duplicate Create a copy of the current element help Display guide information for the current element dismiss Dismiss the guide information window hide Conceal elements below the current node show Reveal elements below the current node collapse Conceal all elements at a given level expand Reveal all elements at a given level list-home Move to the root node of the metadata list-up Move up one element in the list list-down Move down one element in the list list-pageup Move up one screen-full in the list list-pagedown Move down one screen-full in the listSome of these actions are the same as menu items, while others are not. There are no menu items that invoke the actions list-home, list-up, list-down, list-pageup, and list-pagedown. The list- actions are accomplished using the mouse in the scrollbar of the list window.
All levels Make the entire hierarchy visible. 1 level Conceal all elements below the first level. 2 levels Conceal all elements below the second level. 3 levels Conceal all elements below the third level. Hide Conceal all components of the current element. Show Reveal all components of the current element.Normally choosing "1 level" makes the components of Metadata visible but their components invisible.
Schweitzer, Peter N., 1995, Xtme and Tkme: Editors for formal metadata: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.Online Links:
- <http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/tools/doc/tkme.html>
- <http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/tools/doc/xtme.html>
- <http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/>
Spanish-language element names kindly provided by Dr. Ing. Carlos López of the Clearinghouse Nacional de Datos Geográficos, Uruguay <http://www.clearinghouse.gub.uy/>
Indonesian-language element names kindly provided by the Indonesian National Coordination Agency for Surveys and Mapping BAKOSURTANAL
French-language element names kindly provided by the Canadian Center for Remote Sensing, Natural Resources Canada
(703) 648-6533 (voice)
(703) 648-6560 (FAX)
pschweitzer@usgs.gov
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the improving capability of desktop computers to carry out complex analyses has increased the popularity of geographic information systems (GIS). As they became familiar with GIS technology, people at all levels of government, in industry, and in academia have been calling for better access to publically-available geospatial information and more general use of standard terms of reference and of standard formats for the exchange of geospatial data and information.
Answering this need is the goal of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), a government-wide coordination effort initiated at the Federal level through Executive Order 12906, which was signed by President Clinton in April of 1994.
A key component of NSDI is the development of a National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, a general source of information about geospatial data that are available to the public. With the Clearinghouse a user can determine whether geospatial data on a region of interest exist and are appropriate for solving the problem at hand.
The Clearinghouse is a distributed network of internet sites providing metadata (information about geospatial data) to users in approximately the same way. Its success depends on the overall consistency of the metadata that are made available, because users are expected to evaluate metadata from numerous sources in order to determine which data meet their needs.
To promote consistency in metadata, the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), an interagency council charged with coordinating the Federal implementation of NSDI, has produced the Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM). That document provides standard terms describing elements common to most geospatial data, and encourages people who document geospatial data sets to use these terms.
The Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (hereafter referred to simply as "the standard") describes not only the terms of reference but also specifies the relationships among those terms. The relationships, many of which are hierarchical, are complex and a formal syntax is provided to specify them.
Because the syntax of the standard is complex and the number of descriptive elements is fairly large (335), creating metadata that conform to the standard is not an easy task. In addition to the problem of assembling the information needed to properly describe the subject data sets, data producers must arrange that information using the terms given in the standard and arrange the terms using the syntactical rules given in the standard. The resulting metadata are formally structured and use standard terms of reference, hence the term "formal metadata" in the title of this report.
This software is designed to simplify the process of creating formal metadata conforming to the standard. It provides the element names, maintains the hierarchical structure, and ensures proper arrangement of elements.
Federal Geographic Data Committee, 19940608, Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata.Online Links:
Federal Geographic Data Committee, 1998, Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata.Online Links:
Biological Data Working Group, FGDC, and USGS Biological Resources Division, 1999, Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata--Biological Data Profile, FGDC-STD-001.1-1999: Federal Geographic Data Committee, Washington, D.C..Online Links:
input language esReplace es with id for Indonesian; en would be for English, but if the value is unrecognized or missing the software will use English element names. (xtme 2.5) (tkme 2.5)
+ Process_Step
Process_Date
In this example, the plus sign indicates that this
particular Process_Step element has some children that
are currently hidden, and the new Process_Date element
that we just added is only one of them. By forcing the
hidden siblings to be exposed, the user can immediately
see the context in which the new element has been added.
(tkme 2.6.4)
<place> <placekt>Name of the thesaurus <placekey>term1</placekey> <placekey>term2</placekey> </placekt> </place>Note that here element placekt contains both the text of the thesaurus name and the placekey elements which are terms from that thesaurus. This is somewhat analogous to the situation in a text file where an element name appears at the beginning of a line in a data value. But in that situation it is mp's parser that has misinterpreted the data, not invalid structure per se. Consequently it can be repaired automatically. But in the case shown above the fault lies in the generator of the XML code, and it cannot reliably be repaired. (tkme 2.8.13) (xtme 2.6.6)
Federal Geographic Data Committee, 1994, Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata.Online Links:
Schweitzer, Peter N., 1995, MP: A compiler for formal metadata: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.Online Links:
- <http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/tools/doc/mp.html>
- <http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/src.tar.gz>
The compiler embodies the syntax of the 1998 version of
the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, known as
FGDC-STD-001-1998 and also supports the Biological Data Profile
of that standard, FGDC-STD-001.1-1999.
Local extensions to the standard are permitted and a mechanism
is provided that allows these extensions to be described to
the compiler.
Source code and make description files are included. Where discrepancies exist between the syntactical and semantic descriptions of elements in the Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata, the syntactical descriptions are regarded as authoritative.
Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
- Access_Constraints: none
- Use_Constraints: none
(703) 648-6533 (voice)
(703) 648-6560 (FAX)
pschweitzer@usgs.gov
Although this program has been used by the USGS, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS or the United States Government as to the accuracy and functioning of the program and related program material nor shall the fact of distribution constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in connection therewith.
| Data format: | Source and executable code and textual documentation. in format TAR Size: 2 megabytes |
|---|---|
| Network links: |
<http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/src.tar.gz> |
| Data format: | Stand-alone runtime (requires Tclkit), Microsoft Windows and Linux in format Tcl/Tk Starkit Tcl/Tk Starkit created with sdx Size: 2 megabytes |
|---|---|
| Network links: |
<http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/tkme.kit> |
| Data format: | Stand-alone runtime (executable) for Tkme in format Microsoft Windows Executable Tcl/Tk Starpack Size: 3 megabytes |
|---|---|
| Network links: |
<http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/tkme.exe> |
(703) 648-6533 (voice)
(703) 648-6252 (FAX)
pschweitzer@usgs.gov