Expanding the Utility of Geospatial Metadata

The production of geospatial metadata is now established as a GIS best practice. However, few organizations utilize metadata to support functions beyond data distribution and archive. Robust, quality metadata can serve a critical role in geospatial data and project management. To realize this potential, metadata must be produced with this end in mind and contain key content for specific elements. Metadata creation and maintenance must also be fully integrated into the geospatial data lifecycle. Organizations willing to incorporate these measures into their geospatial data development practices will realize greater return on their geospatial data investments.