IT-specific terms are available here: Glossary of Terms
Standards: Summary of units and data fields that facilitate aggregation of data through the WDI so that we have a common format (and minimal set of details) that information is being reported/displayed.
Data standards describe the kinds of information we want to include for a given dataset/data type. For example, for groundwater levels, this would capture information about date, depth below to ground surface, etc.
Metadata standards describe the format in which data is collected or recorded (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD for dates and feet for depth below ground surface).
Descriptive metadata may capture methodological details about how data is collecteddescribes a resource for purposes such as discovery and identification. It can include elements such as title, abstract, author, and keywords.
Structural metadata indicates how compound objects are put together, for example, how pages are ordered to form chapters.
Administrative metadata provides information to help manage a resource, such as when and how it was created, file type and other technical information, and who can access it. There are several subsets of administrative data; two that are sometimes listed as separate metadata types are:
Rights management metadata, which deals with intellectual property rights,
andPreservation metadata, which contains information needed to archive and preserve a resource.
Units within original data sources can be of any format but should be well-described to facilitate integration.
Crosswalks describe how information within original data sources align with the data and metadata standards (e.g., see example here: …)
Dictionary describe the column names, format of information, and can include a description of units where necessary.
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