[Air-l] AoIR communal data-database

[Charlie Hendricksen]

OK, there is a proposal: the metadata should be based on the
openarchives.org database.  Now, in total ignorance of that metadata
set, let me say that that metadata set might be so extensive that the
data providers would be discouraged from submitting their metadata. 
There is an exquisite balance between the work required to input
metadata and the rewards for participating in such a project.  In my
experience that balance goes to simplicity of an order that makes the
metadata marginally useful.  I would argue for a custom metadata set
-- that argument based on experience with the hopelessly complex
metadata standards of the Federal Geographic Data Committee.

jeremy hunsinger wrote:
> 
> yes, but I don't think one needs to have metadata at the level of
> variables.  People might want that data, then they should see if the
> study might have that information, download the study and look for it
> themselves.  I think one needs to have it at the level of the study.
> I'm assuming that this will all be in a database eventually, so
> categories such as the openarchives.org metadata set would be best, it
> is a standard, it describes unique objects like a study, etc.
> 
> the lack of exact and complete metadata has not hindered the development
> of such projects in the past, i guess in the end it is always a balance
> between the practical and the ideal situations.
> 
> On Sunday, November 18, 2001, at 03:05 PM, Charlie Hendricksen wrote:
> 
> > Yes, the "codebook" for the study should have all the metadata
> > necessary.  But are the codebooks searchable?  If the repository is of
> > any size at all, then it needs to be searchable.  Would you like to
> > read all the codebooks in order to see if there was any data you could
> > use?  If the codebooks are disassembled and placed in a database that
> > allows searching then the repository is very useful.  My guess is that
> > codebooks are idiosyncratic and of wildly varying quality.  This means
> > that the metadata would be incomplete in many cases.
> >
> > This raises the issue of what the metadata should include.
> jeremy hunsinger
> on the ibook
> www.cddc.vt.edu
> www.cddc.vt.edu/jeremy
> 
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-- 
            Charlie Hendricksen   veritas at u.washington.edu

            "Information technology structures human relationships."
                            "Models relate concepts."