CORPSMET95 Manual

 

 

 

 

METADATA

 

 

Background:

In the past, geospatial data collection of any kind focused mostly on the data itself, with little regard for documentation.  Proper documentation that could answer questions about the content, quality, accessibility, and other characteristics of the data, did not necessarily exist.

 

The answers to these questions about content, quality etc., are called Metadata.  Metadata is loosely defined as "Data about Data".  Metadata covers four areas:

 

1. Information needed to determine the sets of data that exist for a geographic location.

2. Information needed to determine if a set of data fits a specific need.

3. Information needed to acquire an identified set of data.

4. Information needed to process and use a set of data.

 

To provide compilers and users of geospatial data with a common set of terminology, the FGDC (Federal Geographic Data Committee) created and approved the Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata.

 

The FGDC standard is broken down into seven main sections:

 

Identification Information                    basic information about the data set.      

Data Quality Information                     a general assessment of the quality of the data set.           

Spatial Data Organization                   the mechanism used to represent spatial information in

                                                            the data set.     

Spatial Reference Information            the description of the reference frame for, and the

                                                            means to encode, the coordinates in the data set.           

Entity and Attribute Information           information about the information content of the data

                                                            set, including the entity types, their attributes, and the

                                                            domains from which attribute values may be assigned.           

Distribution Information                       information about the distributor of and options for

                                                            obtaining the data set.   

Metadata Reference Information         information on the currency of the Metadata

                                                            information, and the possible responsible party.   

           

 

All sections and any fields in a section of the standard are either Required, Optional, or required where applicable.  To complete a section, all of the required fields under that section must be completed.

 

In the case of the Standard as a whole, sections 1 and 7 must be "completed" for the file to be compliant with the FGDC standard.

 

The CORPSMET95 Program can be started by selecting the CORPSMET95 program icon            

.

 

Files:

*.GEN  - CORPSMET95 Project file.  This is the file you Save while in the CORPSMET95 program.  This file is NOT compliant to the FGDC standard.                        

 

*.MET  - Metadata file.  This is the Metadata file you Build while in the CORPSMET95 program.  This file is compliant to the FGDC standard. This file is a formatted ASCII text file.  A portion of a *.MET file appears below.

 

                        Identification_Information:

                  Citation:

                        Citation_Information:

                              Originator:  David Hodges(Ed.)

 

 

           

The Symbols:

 

The following symbols will appear throughout the CORPSMET95 program. 

 

1.  General Symbols

           

                                - Required field or section.

                                 - Optional section.

                                - Required where applicable section.

                                - A section, which is a member of a group of 'n' items.

           

2. Symbol Overlays (symbols which appear on top of the General Symbols)

 

                                - The section is Complete.

                                 - The section is In Progress.

 

3. Symbol Modifiers

           

        - The section is disabled.

                                - Indicates a section which itself has no properties.

 

4. Other Symbols

                       

                                - Selection button - not selected.

                    - Selection button - selected.

 

Note:  The  used in Symbol Modifiers serves only as an example.  All of the other symbols may be modified in the same manner.

 

 

Navigation through CORPSMET95 projects / files:

                       

Browsing the Tree view:

 

 

The Treeview can be thought of as a layout of your Metadata project.  The view shows all of the sections that are in the standard.  Items with theor  symbols can be expanded or collapsed by double clicking the item name or clicking on the  or  respectively. 

 

Selection buttons within the Treeview:


 

 

 

Some items in the Treeview are grouped together with Selection button symbols   or .  Only one item of this "group" can be selected at one time.  Notice the color of the  symbols beside each of the Selection buttons.  The items (sections) which appear disabled are not -selected and therefore are not considered part of your CORPSMET95 project.

 

Dynamic Sections within the Treeview:

 

 

 

 

 

The  symbol indicates a section that is a member of a group of 'n' items. You may add additional sections of this type. To add a section right click on the section's parent and select add from the pop up menu. To remove a section right click on the section and choose remove from the pop up menu. You may not remove the last section in the group.

 

 

           


Editing / Adding data (The property dialogs):

 

           

 

 

All data entry is done in the Property Dialogs. The above example is the Citation dialog from the Identification Section.  The three buttons on the bottom of every property dialog are always the same ( OK, Cancel, Apply), however, the contents of each dialog will change according to the item you are on in the tree. 

 

The three "standard" buttons always mean the following:

 

           

       - Save changes and close dialog.

 

           

      - Close dialog discarding any changes.

 

           

      - Save changes without closing dialog.

 

 

Notice the top of the 'Originator' grid there is a   symbol.  This indicates that the 'Originator' grid is a required entry field.  After each of the required entry fields are complete, the tree-item selected for edit is then complete.

 

To copy user-inputted text to different screens, highlight the text and click the right mouse button.  Choose Cut or Copy.  Go to the destination and click the right mouse button and select Paste.  The Edit option on the menu bar can only be used to copy text from the FGDC Standard.  Use the right mouse button to paste the text.

 

Every item in the tree that does not have the  modifier on the item's symbol (does not have any children), has a property dialog associated with it.  To reach the property dialog for any of these items simply double click on the item in the tree or right click on the item to bring up the pop - up menu and then select Properties.

 

 

 

After saving changes to our data in a property dialog,  we may notice changes to the tree - item we had selected for editing.  If the minimum number of required entries for the current tree - item (indicated by the  symbol) are complete, the symbol for the current tree - item will appear with an  over it.  If some but not all of the required entries for the current tree - item are complete then the current tree - item will appear with a  over it.  These changes will reciprocate up the entire tree.  (In some cases the 'Status' change of one tree - item will cause changes in other items above it.)

 

Notice in the figure below the changes in the tree after saving changes to our property dialog.

 

 

 

Notice that the Citation item under Identification in the tree has the Completed symbol  over it.  Notice also that the Identification item in the tree has the In Progress symbol  over it.  Since the Citation item is the only item under Identification that has been completed the Identification item is clearly In Progress.

 

 

 

Viewing Your Work.

As you enter data in your project you may view the contents of the file you are working on by clicking the Current file   speed button.

 

 

 

 

 

           


Online FGDC Standard.

The FGDC Standard is provided online for easy reference, and may be viewed by clicking the FGDC Standard notebook tab or in a separate window. As an added convenience the standard may be linked to the tree view. Simply select a section in the Treeview and click the FGDC Standard notebook tab.  The cursor will be positioned at the appropriate section in the standard.

 

 

 

 

 

Building the *.MET file and Saving the *.GEN file.

 

At any time when the CORPSMET95 program is running, the user may Save the current CORPSMET95 project.  When the user Saves the current CORPSMET95 project the extension used is *.GEN.

 

            Saving a CORPSMET95 project:

                       

·      you can save the current project by selecting Save from the File menu. Or Click

 

·      you can save the current project under a new name by selecting Save As from the File menu.  Or Click  .

 

                        Building a *.MET file is only possible when you have completed at least

                        the Identification and Metadata Reference sections. When these conditions

                        are met you will see both the Build All button  and the Build All option under

                        the Project menu become active. Below is an example of each:

                       

 

 

Notice in the Treeview above that both of the Required tree-items are complete.

 

 

 

 

Questions or comments concerning the CORPSMET95 programs should be addressed to:

 

U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center

ATTN:  CETEC-TD-G  (CORPSMET95)

7701 Telegraph Road

Alexandria VA  22315-3864

 

Phone:  (703) 428-6766 ext. 2557

E-Mail:  aly@tec.army.mil

 

Further information on the Metadata Standard and applications to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers elements can be obtained from:

 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

ATTN:  CECW-EP-S

20 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.

Washington D.C.  20314-1000

 

Phone:  (202) 761-8893

E-Mail:  mailto:nancy.blyler@int.hq.usace.army.mil