Metadata is data that provides information about other data. Several different descriptive metadata fields can be used to describe a file, depending on the file type and the metadata’s purpose. The most common metadata fields are title, author, and subject. This article will define metadata and discuss the most common technical metadata fields. Keep reading to learn more.
Metadata is data that provides information about other data. It includes information about how and when data was collected, who created it, and further details that help users understand and use it. Metadata standards are rules that dictate how metadata should be formatted and organized. It can describe a document, image, video, or track and manage the file. Standard metadata fields include the date the file was created, its author, and keywords that describe the content. Metadata can also include technical information about the file format and how it should be displayed. These fields may be included in a file header or footer or stored in a separate database or file.
What does date modified metadata mean?
The date modified metadata field indicates when a particular file was last modified. This can help track down when a specific change was made to a file or determine when a file was last accessed. The date modified field is often used with other metadata fields, such as the creation date and the last accessed date.
What is folder path metadata?
The folder path is the location of a file or folder on a computer’s hard drive. The folder path is composed of the drive letter, followed by a colon, and then the folder name. For example, C:\Users\John would be the folder path for the John user’s home directory on the C: drive.
What are some of the most popular metadata standards?
There are several different metadata standards in use today. The most common ones are Dublin Core, MARC21, and MODS. Dublin Core is a simple standard designed to describe electronic resources such as websites and articles. MARC21 is a more complex standard used by libraries to catalog books and other physical items. MODS is also based on MARC21, which is designed to describe digital objects specifically.
How do you group meta datasets?
There are many different types of metadata, which can be classified in various ways. One common way to group metadata is by its function:
- Structural metadata: This is metadata that describes the structure or organization of data. It may include information about the layout of a document, the order of fields in a database, or the structure of a website.
- Administrative metadata: This is metadata that describes how a document is used or how it’s controlled. It may include information about the author, the revision history, or the keywords associated with the document.
- Technical metadata: This is metadata that describes the technical characteristics of a document. It may include information about the file format, the resolution, or the compression method.
- Rights metadata: This is metadata that describes the copyright and other intellectual-property rights associated with a document. It may include information about the owner of the copyright, the license terms, or the contact information for the rights holder.
- Contextual metadata: This is metadata that provides additional information about a document. It may include the document’s subject matter, the geographic location where it was created, or the people involved in making it.
Another common way to group metadata is by the way it was created:
Manually created metadata: This is metadata typed in or produced by hand. It may be entered into a database or spreadsheet or handwritten on a document or piece of equipment.
Automatically created metadata: This is metadata that is automatically generated by a computer system. It may be generated when a document is made or generated as the document is used.
Derived metadata: This is metadata that is created by combining or processing other metadata. For example, a document’s creation date may be calculated by adding the date it was uploaded to the system and the number of days that have elapsed since then.
How does copyright affect how and when you can use metadata?
Copyright law governs how and when you can use metadata. The law protects the rights of copyright holders by giving them exclusive control over how their work is used. This means that you cannot add or change metadata without permission from the copyright holder. If you do not have permission, you could be infringing on the copyright holder’s rights.
Metadata is an integral part of organizing and managing digital content. It can be used to describe and identify digital objects and track changes and revisions to those objects. Additionally, metadata can be used to improve search results and to provide contextual information about digital objects.
