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Greg, At NCSU we are working with FGDC metadata in our NDIIPP project focusing on preservation of state and local government digital geospatial data. Much of the state data and some of the local data arrives with FGDC metadata. In our ingest workflow we are validating, normalizing, synchronizing and remediating existing FGDC metadata, and batch generating FGDC metadata where none exists. In the latter case it is a question of focusing on the subset of software-generated technical metadata elements while also adding additional information from agency templates and selectively adding information from data inventory details. We are normalizing to the ESRI Profile of FGDC in order to take advantage of additional technical metadata elements that are available. Not all of this has been fully automated yet as we are working out the kinks and refining the work flow. We've participated in some FGDC-ISO crosswalk tests in order to prepare for the upcoming shift from FGDC ver. 2 to the North American profile of the ISO standard. In exchange cases such as this we are stripping the ESRI Profile elements and synchronization tags for standards compliance. Tools we are using include ArcCatalog, the NPS Metadata Toolkit, mp, and cns. In the past we also used an in-house modified version of the NOAA Metadata Collector extension for batch processes (rewriting the dialog-driven tool as a non-dialog batch processor for extraction of technical elements)--the NPS Toolkit has superceded that for batch processes but there are questions about ongoing support of the NPS software. ArcObjects-based processing may be a next direction for some of the things that we'd like to automate further--e.g., better control of synchronization. Our partner on the NDIIPP project is the state GIS agency, which conducts metadata outreach and training for local agencies. As part of the project we are compiling metadata quality information to be passed back to the metadata outreach effort to inform the training process and hopefully improve the quality of metadata seen in the longer term. Quality issues in this case being things like a change in datum or change in format not being recorded, and other innaccuracies. Lack of concurrency between the data and metadata is a common problem. We've also mapped FGDC elements, along with other technical and administrative metadata cultivated in the ingest preparation process, to DSpace QDC for repository ingest. The plan is to include the FGDC record itself as well as a METS wrapper as bitstreams in the Dspace item--we're still fleshing this part out. The Dspace QDC mapping is seen as a single spoke in the repository preparation process, as we'd also like to investigate mapping to FEDORA SIP's, etc. In earlier projects going back to the mid-late 90's we've been involved in a variety of other projects with FGDC metadata components: serving as the NPS metasearch source (using Isite to index and serve SGML records via Z39.50 GEO profile); cross-walking FGDC to MARC as a beta-tester of a USGS tool, to incorporate geospatial data into the library catalog; and developing a public access discovery system that involves disambiguating key access elements from FGDC metadata (including key access elements or facets that are not discretely defined in FGDC) to inform discovery and selection. Also, over the years we've provided metadata authoring training and support to grad students and research staff working on various campus projects. Best regards, Steve Morris gmarch wrote: >Hello, > >I am curious to know if any DLF partners are actively involved with FGDC >metadata related projects? > >Thank you, > >Greg > >Gregory March >Graduate Research Assistant >Map Library >15 Hoskins Library >University of Tennessee >Knoxville, TN 37996 >(865)974-4315 >[log in to unmask] > > -- Steve Morris Head of Digital Library Initiatives North Carolina State University Libraries Phone: (919) 515-1361 Fax: (919) 515-3031 [log in to unmask]