Setting a metadata standard
- Create a database of biodiversity in 19th-century Ukraine,
- Create an inclusive strategy for mapping historical places, and
- Develop best practices for producing data that can be preserved via the Harvard Geospatial Library and the Harvard Library (HOLLIS) catalog.
If a book needs great footnotes, a dataset needs great metadata.
Composing either one is anticlimactic at best and tedious at worst. But what if we reinvented the documentation of decision-making? What if we found a way to streamline the production of metadata? What if we developed a model for productive collaboration between researchers and librarians? What if we built real — possibly entertaining — human conversation into the process?
To that end, we tested workflows, documented practices, designed interview questions, and generally attempted to smooth the path from inception to publication of spatial data. We found that as important as it is to iterate on a data model, the best way to produce valuable data is to sit down and talk with other stakeholders.
Key Output: The Harvard Map Collection GIS Data Curation Services Template