ODAS Metadata Management Manual

1. Introduction

ODAS metadata is the information about ocean data acquisition systems. ODAS metadata standards were developed by the Subgroup on Marine Climatology to descript the data of such ocean data acquisition systems as moored and drift buoys, offshore platform and so on. They focus on the descriptions of original features of observing data, especially the environmental features in data acquisition.

At the JCOMM DMCG-I meeting in 2002, the National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS) of China volunteered to undertake the duty of the ODAS Metadata Management Center. The major objectives of ODAS metadata management center are collection, sort-out, processing, management and service of the ODAS metadata from the Members and Member States, international organizations and cooperative projects and programs in an operational way.

The ODAS metadata database and management system have been developed by ODAS Metadata Center. We succeeded in collecting DBCP、Argo and Gloss metadata, These metadata information has been translated into the ODAS metadata operationally. The management system will be improved continuously. The Website for ODAS metadata service (ODASMS), http://www.odas.org.cn/, was set up for users to submit or download ODAS metadata.

More and more ODAS metadata are desired to provide users with better service. We hope you provide us more metadata of Ocean Data Acquisition System (ODAS). You are welcome to join us.

2. ODAS Metadata Submission Format

2.1 ODAS Metadata Format

ODAS metadata standards were developed by the Subgroup on Marine Climatology to descript the data of such ocean data acquisition systems as moored and drift buoys, offshore platform and so on. They focus on the descriptions of original features of observing data, especially the environmental features in data acquisition, for example, the features of observing platforms and instruments (precision, technical norms, conditions, state, etc.), the feature of data transmission, conditions for sensor operation and their parameters.

For full details of ODAS Metadata Format, please go to the page >>.

2.2 ODAS Metadata Submission Format

We accept metadata in your own standard and on formats of following: MS Excel, MS Access, FoxPro, ASCII form、XML, etc.... For the first time to submit your metadata, please submit the metadata with detail description information about your metadata format, code table.

Notice: We only want the metadata of ODAS, not the metadata of dataset. Please be sure that your metadata include information on ODAS platforms and instruments.

Detail information about ODAS metadata, please go to the page >>

3. How to submit metadata to ODASMS

There are four ways to submit metadata to ODASMS:

3.1 Submit metadata via ODASMS FTP server
Submit metadata via ODASMS FTP server (fpt://ftp.coi.gov.cn/), you must first register and be allocated a User Name and Password. Send the following information to the ODASMS first:
First Name
Surname
Organization
Email
Phone
Fax
Address
Preferred User Name

You will then be sent a password that will enable you to submit your metadata directly onto the FTP server.

3.2 Submit metadata via email.
You can submit your metadata via email. The email address of ODASMS is:
odas@mail.nmdis.gov.cn

3.3 Submit metadata via REGULAR MAIL
Our mail address is as follows:
Marine Data Center
National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS)
93 Liuwei Road, Hedong District, Tianjin 300171, P. R. China

3.4 Submit metadata via download on internet
If you have your own website and release metadata on it, please provide us your web address and user account (if necessary), and inform us metadata format and download methods as well. We would like to download your metadata on internet. Our email address is odas@mail.nmdis.gov.cn

Don't forget to send your metadata with format files.

4. What happens to your metadata submitted to ODASMS?

4.1. Metadata archive

An exact copy of the original files sent to ODASMS is saved to archival media. File format information and metadata descriptions from the submitter are archived with metadata. Gaps in the metadata are filled in by email or phone conversation with the submitter. The information of receipt of metadata is recorded in ODAS tracking database.

4.2 Metadata Format Transform

The following work will be done to transform submitted metadata to ODAS metadata:

• analysis on original metadata;
• detailed comparative study on the two different metadata formats;
• identify transforming relationships from submitted metadata to ODAS metadata;
• design operational workflow of transforming;
• develop software for transforming;
• import the transformed metadata into the metadata database.

When necessary, ODASMS will work with the metadata submitter to assure that the information is correct and complete and that no information is lost during this process.
After original metadata are transformed into ODAS metadata format and additional information (such as metadata submitter, contact information to submitter) is added. All transformed metadata will be imported into ODAS metadata database.

4.3 Metadata release

All data in ODAS metadata database are released on ODAS website. If metadata submitter agrees, the original metadata files sent to ODASMS are released on ODAS website as well.

5. How to Access ODAS Metadata

A search example is given. The methods of both metadata browse and download are presented.

5.1 Metadata search and browse

Open an Internet browser and connect to the ODAS home page http://www.odas.org.cn/ (Fig. 5.1). Click on the item of "ODAS Metadata Access" on the left menu bar and then begin a search for ODAS metadata.

Fig. 5.1 ODAS Homepage

There are four types of search conditions you can use to search for ODAS metadata (see Fig. 5.2): country or organization, type of platform, operational date and position of platform. For this example, we choose Canadian profile floats from August 18, 2004 to December 19, 2004 in globe area (Fig. 5.2).

Click on the Go button to search for matched metadata.

Fig. 5.2 ODAS metadata search page

Fig. 5.3 is the results of search. It lists all metadata meeting the search conditions. You may browse the detail metadata information of every ODAS record，or download all matched metadata files to local computer.

To browse metadata, please right drag the scroll bar on the bottom of area of metadata list (Fig. 5.3), then right click on related item on the column of “Detail Metadata” (Fig. 5,4).

Fig. 5.3 ODAS metadata browser page

Fig. 5.4 ODAS metadata browser page

Fig. 5.5 shows the detail information on the platform and sensors on board of the platform selected from metadata list in Fig. 5.4.

Fig. 5.5 Detail Metadata Information page

5.2 Metadata search and download

Do a metadata search to the page with the list of matched metadata. To download matched metadata files, please straightly right click on the Download button on ODAS metadata browse page (Fig. 5.6).

Fig. 5.6 ODAS metadata browser page

As shown by Fig. 5.7, the ODAS metadata download page will provide you with search conditions and the record count of matched metadata. Click on the Download button again.

Fig. 5.7 ODAS metadata download page

ODAS server zips these matched metadata files exported from ODAS metadata database, and then a linkage of the zip file of search metadata for download is displayed below the Download button (Fig. 5.8). Right click on the zipfile icon to save it to local computer.

Fig. 5.8 ODAS metadata download page