VDE SPEC 90009 V1.0 created with participation of EC Systems
What are Metadata?
Metadata describe information products. In technical communication, metadata often include validity periods, target audiences, variants, or content types. They may originate from various machine-based and/or manual sources and are managed and evaluated in different information systems (authoring systems, PIM systems, content delivery systems, etc.).
What are Meta-Metadata?
Meta-metadata describe metadata; for example, they provide information about the origin or reliability of metadata.
An example: Metadata can be generated using AI methods. In this process, given information products are automatically analyzed, and the presumed metadata are derived from a range of parameters. The reliability—i.e., the probability that the metadata has been correctly assigned—is such a meta-metadata and is important for the further use of the generated metadata.
Meta-metadata also include information about the actors (persons, organizations, software systems) involved in the creation of metadata, which may play a role in the use of metadata.
The Development of VDE SPEC 90009 V1.0
As part of the creation of the VDE SPEC, the project group…
- collected requirements and ideas through interviews with stakeholders from industry and software development,
- defined the requirements for a meta-metadata model,
- developed the model,
- implemented the model into a structural definition,
- illustrated an exemplary implementation of the structure in JSON and XML, and
- created and finalized the VDE SPEC in an iterative process.
Application and Benefits of the VDE SPEC
The use of standardized meta-metadata is helpful…
- … in the generation of metadata using AI methods and tools,
- in the use of information products in authoring systems, especially when metadata originate from external sources—for example, to better assess metadata quality,
- in the exchange of information products and their metadata between different systems, e.g., transferring content created in an authoring system to a content delivery portal, or
- in the evaluation of metadata in information portals or other content delivery systems to improve search quality.
Information and Access to the VDE SPEC “Meta-Metadata for Technical Documentation in Industry 4.0”
The complete VDE SPEC can be downloaded free of charge at VDE SPEC Publications. The use of the SPEC’s meta-metadata model is license-free.
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