Metadata for local government websites

"Data about data"

Joined-up government needs joined-up information systems. The e-Government Metadata Standard (e-GMS) lays down the elements, refinements and encoding schemes to be used by government officers when creating metadata for their information resources or designing search interfaces for information systems.

The e-GMS is needed to ensure maximum consistency of metadata across public sector organisations.

What is metadata?

The most common definition of metadata is "data about data". This, however, is a simplification; metadata is a summary of the form and content of a resource. For example, a catalogue selling household items gives the metadata of those items: the brand, price, colour and capacity, for example of a kettle; or the size, fabric, colour and price of a suit. A library catalogue contains metadata relating to books: their titles, authors, publishers, etc.

The e-GMS is concerned with the particular facets of metadata intended to support 'resource discovery' and records management. The Standard covers the core set of 'elements' that contain data needed for the effective retrieval and management of official information. Each element contains information relating to a particular aspect of the information resource, for example 'title' or 'creator'.

Why is metadata important?

There are many reasons why it is important, but in summary:

• Modernising e-Government calls for better use of official information, joined-up systems and policies, and services designed around the needs of citizens.
• Considerable work has already been done to standardise government information systems so they can be accessed easily from central portals.
• New systems for the handling of electronic records are being devised. Official records will not always be stored in paper format.
• Metadata makes it easier to manage or find information, be it in the form of web pages, electronic documents, paper files, databases, anything
• For metadata to be effective it needs to be structured and consistent across organisations
• The e-GIF is mandated across all government information systems. By association, so is the e-GMS.

This page was last updated on 24 November 2009