Data Description Tools

Biosharing

Functionality:  CATALOGUES The web-based BioSharing catalogues aim to centralize bioscience data policies, reporting standards and links to other related portals. 1. Providing a “one-stop shop” for those seeking data sharing policy documents and information about the standards and technologies that support them. 2. Exposing core information on well-constituted, community-driven standardization efforts and link to their standards, documentation, training material, news and contact point. 3.
http://biosharing.org/
Suitable for:

eDAVID - Expertisecentrum DAVID

Expertisecentrum DAVID is a centre of research and knowledge on digital archiving.
http://www.expertisecentrumdavid.be/eng/index.php
Suitable for:

EdNA Online Metadata Toolset

This tool assists web page creators to embed standardised metadata into their pages. It will also prepare pages for harvesting and integrate different metadata schemas. Lists of the standards can be found on the EdNA website. NOTE: This project ended in September 2011. Functionality:  Metadata creator and editor. Level of Expertise:  Knowledge of metadata and some knowledge of Java applications.
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/pid/1505/
Suitable for:

Representation Information Repository

This DCC tool records the representation information (e.g. file format structural information as well as semantic metadata) necessary to be able to interpret an archived digital object, and in turn assists users to populate relevant technical preservation metadata fields for digital objects being preserved. Representation information is a term from the OAIS Reference Model, ISO 14721. Functionality:  Tool to create technical preservation metadata.
http://dev.dcc.ac.uk/dccrrt/
Suitable for:

XMP

XMP (eXtensible Metadata Platform) is a tool that assists the digital preservation workflow in that it allows you to attach metadata to digital objects. It is an open-source product and freely available to the community. XMP is extensible in that it can also accommodate existing metadata schemas. This tool is particularly pertinent for digital imaging. Functionality:  Metadata creation tool. Level of Expertise:  Fairly high. Knowledge of C++ programming to implement this tool.
http://www.adobe.com/products/xmp/main.html
Suitable for:

Metadata Extraction Tool

This has been developed by the National Library of New Zealand and leads the way in being one of the first tools of its kind to extract preservation metadata from the headers of a range of file formats. The metadata standard used is the NLNZ preservation metadata schema, but it can be configured to support other business processes. Automatic extraction is a key development for the digital preservation community.
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/services/get-advice/digital-libraries/metadata-extraction-tool
Suitable for:

SKOS Core

SKOS stands for Simple Knowledge Organisation System. SKOS Core is a model used to describe 'concept' schemas and the relationships between them. For example, glossaries, thesauri, controlled vocabularies. Functionality:  Provides a framework for expressing knowledge organisation systems in a machine-understandable way. Level of Expertise:  Good understanding of the concept of ontologies and descriptive schemas, such as RDF.
http://www.w3.org/TR/swbp-skos-core-guide
Suitable for:

Go-Geo

Go-Geo! is an online resource discovery tool which allows for the identification and retrieval of records describing the content, quality, condition and other characteristics of geospatial data that exist with UK tertiary education and beyond. The portal supports geospatial searching by interactive map, grid co-ordinates and place name, as well as the more traditional topic or keyword forms of searching.
http://www.gogeo.ac.uk/
Suitable for:

PRONOM

The online registry of technical information. PRONOM is a resource for anyone requiring impartial and definitive information about the file formats, software products and other technical components required to support long-term access to electronic records and other digital objects of cultural, historical or business value. Functionality:  File format specification database. Level of Expertise:  Knowledge of metadata schemas in particular technical preservation metadata.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pronom/
Suitable for:

JHOVE

(JSTOR/Harvard Object Validation Environment): USA. Every object that is ingested into a digital archive needs to be identified and its file format needs to be verified. A data curator needs to be sure that the digital object entered into an archive is the file format that it purports to be. Functionality:  File format verification tool. Level of Expertise:  High. Technical knowledge of applications, APIs (Application Programme Interfaces) to implement the tool.
http://hul.harvard.edu/jhove/index.html
Suitable for:

The DCC is funded by

Joint Information Systems Committee