MEDIN approved standards
metadata discovery standard
Generate MEDIN compliant discovery metadata using one of the following methods:
Use the on-line form that will appear here in due course. This is suitable if you have a small number of data sets which you wish to generate metadata for and are a non-expert.
Use the guidance document to assist you generate large numbers of metadata records directly from your own metadata holdings. This method is suitable for individuals who have experience of metadata formats and xml. A schematron is available for you to validate your xml.
The Guidence Document and Schematron have been amended to conform to the GEMINI2 profile and were last updated on 9th November 2009. If you identify any problems using the files and tools please contact mecha@bodc.ac.uk.
The MEDIN Metadata Discovery Standard must be used to record details of data sets. The fields used in the standard are compliant with other international conventions (INSPIRE, ISO19115) which means that the details can be transferred and used easily between organisations. This metadata will then be made available on the MEDIN portal so it may be searched. If you have any questions please email enquiries@oceannet.org
data guidelines
Data guidelines are sets of requirements that must be recorded when data of a certain theme is being collected. MEDIN approved guidelines are in the process of being derived, and are available below:
Sediment sampling by grab or core for benthos: |
In the interim period while further guidelines are being written and approved by MEDIN we recommend that other marine data standards should be used.
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 the title of the term list to access further details.
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