Collaborative Research: Marine Metadata Interoperability Project

该项目旨在通过在海洋科学界就海洋元数据的“最佳做法”达成更广泛的共识，提高海洋观测数据使用的便利性。它汇集了海洋科学界的许多部门，努力记录当前的使用情况，就“最佳做法”达成共识，并在测试平台活动中测试最佳做法及其在促进跨平台、跨学科数据交换方面的有效性。目标是减少元数据生成的负担，增加元数据的使用，并开发支持各种数据使用的通用元数据结构。测试平台将提供在异构数据类型环境中使用元数据“最佳实践”的端到端演示。来自现代观测系统的海洋数据的数量和种类正在迅速扩大，如果没有现代数据管理和数据分析工具的帮助，很难找到或有效利用这些数据。这些工具将搜索和操作数据的重担推给了计算机程序。为了能够成功地做到这一点，需要数据集包括它们所包含的数据的描述，以及它们是如何被获取和处理的细节，这些数据集以这些程序可以理解的形式存储。为了让机器可读，这些元数据必须符合程序能够理解的语义和语法标准。该项目旨在将生成元数据的最佳现有实践结合起来，形成自愿的实际社区标准。关于如何开发元数据和相关本体的经验已经在许多领域出现，这将与现有的海洋元数据实践相融合。如果成功，该项目将开发一种更全面的海洋元数据方法，并促进海洋科学家采用该方法。符合社区标准的更完整的元数据将增强许多用户更有效地利用海洋观测的能力。学术研究和“业务”海洋临近预报或预报社区可能最直接地感受到这种影响。间接地，这可能有利于一些海洋数据用户，如沿海海洋资源管理人员和商业用户，使他们更容易和扩大获得有关数据的机会。

This project is an effort to improve the ease of use of data from ocean observations by developing broader agreement within the ocean science community on "best practices" for marine metadata. It brings together a number of segments of the ocean science community in an effort to document current usage, to develop a consensus on "best practices", and to test the best practices and their effectiveness at promoting cross-platform, cross-disciplinary data exchange in a test-bed activity. The goal is to reduce the burden of metadata generation, increase the use of metadata, and develop a general metadata structure that supports a wide variety of data usage. The test-bed will provide an end-to-end demonstration of the use of metadata "best practices" in an environment with heterogeneous data types.The volume and variety of ocean data from modern observing systems are expanding rapidly and it becomes difficult to find or effectively use these data without assistance from modern data management and data analysis tools. These tools place the burden of searching for and manipulating data onto computer programs. To be able to successfully do this requires that datasets include descriptions of the data they contain, and details of how they have been obtained and processed, that are stored in a form that can be understood by these programs. To be machine-readable, this metadata must conform to semantic and syntactic standards that are understood by the programs. This project aims to combine the best of existing practices for generating metadata into recipes for voluntary de facto community standards. Experience with how to develop metadata and associated ontologies has emerged in a number of fields and this will be fused with existing marine metadata practices. If successful, this project will develop a more comprehensive approach to ocean metadata and facilitate its adoption by marine scientists. More complete metadata that conforms to a community standard will enhance the ability of many users to employ ocean observations more effectively. The impact is likely to be felt most directly by the academic research and "operational" ocean nowcasting or forecasting communities. Indirectly, this is likely to benefit a number of ocean data users such as coastal ocean resource managers and commercial users by easing and expanding their access to relevant data.