Who Uses Metadata?
Metadata Users
Metadata has use for data developers, data managers, data users, and organizations. Standardized metadata documentation is searchable, allowing data developers and users to search for existing data and avoid data duplication. It provides a venue for sharing and publicizing data production efforts. These both reduce workloads and increase efficiency. Data users are provided with the parameters of the dataset to evaluate data and if it is applicable to a project. It allows searching for specific geographic locations and gives information on data acquisition and transfer. In an organization, metadata increases and protects the value of its investment in data. Data productions and planned acquisiton can be managed through metadata. Quality control, data restrictions and uses can be applied to the entire data inholdings. Finally, metadata documentation transcends people and time. Staff turnover and balancing of multiple projects can be mitigated with metadata, providing data permanence and the documentation of institutional knowledge.
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