Describing Geospatial Information

Abstract

To be optimally useful, geospatial resources must be described. This description is referred to as metadata. Metadata tells “who, what, where, when, why, and how” about every facet of a piece of data or service. When properly done, metadata answers a wide range of questions about geospatial resources, such as what geospatial data is available, how to evaluate its quality and suitability for use, and how to access it, transfer it, and process it. To ensure consistency for access and retrieval, metadata can be standardized to provide a common set of terms, definitions, and organization.