Re-definition(?) of "meta" -Reply

[Diane Madrigal]

>Geospatial, like "metadata", is also not in Websters Unabridged.
>Can metadata be non-geospatial if I understand the term correctly?

Yes, metadata can certainly be used for non-geospatial data. I just
chose that definition because it was at hand, and because it defined (or
tried to define) "meta" as well as "metadata."

...

>Perhaps an off the cuff definition would be...
>
>Metadata-
>The use of underlying control variables, codes, and vocabularies in
>organizing a collection of web based records without altering the
>apparent design and content of the resource.

I don't think that metadata is a means of actually *organizing* a
collection of resources, but rather of providing *access* to them.

Just as metadata doesn't have to be geospatial in nature, it also doesn't
have to be web-based. A classic example is the library catalog.
Whether it's an online catalog or an old-fashioned card catalog, it's
basically a collection of metadata about the books, serials, videos, etc.
that the library holds. The Web doesn't need to be involved at all
(although admittedly that's where you're most likely to hear about
metadata these days).

Diane Madrigal
New York State Library