approved term lists
Interoperability between datasets is impeded if different codes are used for the same term. Using common terms is therefore the first and an essential step to improving interoperability. These terms lists are also called ‘controlled vocabularies’. MEDIN has approved the term lists in the following table and is in the process of approving others. Click on any of the list titles below to access details of the terms in that list.
List Title |
Details |
| ISO Topic Categories (P051) | Terms defined by ISO describing data themes. Used to populate the mandatory ISO19115 topic category field. This list is used for the MEDIN Discovery Metadata Standard, Element 9 ‘Topic Category’. |
| Parameter Discovery Vocabulary (P021) | Terms describing fine-grained related groups of measurement phenomena designed to be used in dataset discovery interfaces. This list is used for the MEDIN Discovery Metadata Standard, Element 11 ‘Keywords’. |
| Vertical Coordinate Coverage (L131) | Terms used to describe data coverage over the vertical (z) co-ordinate. This list is used for the MEDIN Discovery Metadata Standard, Element 11 ‘Keywords’. |
| EPSG Coordinate Reference System Geodetic Parameter Register. | A coordinate reference system to define vertical extent information in the MEDIN Discovery Metadata Standard, Element 14 ‘Vertical Extent Information’. |
| World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) | Using an agreed term for a species is also fundamental for sharing biological data. WoRMS is an authoritative taxonomic list of species occurring in the marine environment and should be used by MEDIN partners. |
There are a number of other term lists available, which are currently under consideration and are detailed at: other marine data standards