IGS Metadata Information

What are metadata and why collect them?

Metadata are documentation about the data contained within a database or geospatial data, so that users of the data can determine its applicability to their needs. Metadata in conformance with FGDC standards can be easily searched within national metadata clearinghouses. The collection of metadata may also improve institutional memory and help an organization to avoid the costs of duplicating data that have already been compiled.

An executive order signed in 1994 requires that federal agencies utilizing Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) standards document all new geospatial data and add that documentation to the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse.

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