Metadata
Metadata has comebe usedreferdata about data. A good example islibrary catalog card, which contains data aboutnaturelocation ofdata inbook referredbycard.The content combinedits metadataoften calledcontent package.
Metadata has become important onweb because ofneedfind useful information frommassinformation available. Manually-created metadata adds value becauseensures consistency. If one webpage abouttopic containsword or phrase, then all webpages about that topic should contain that same word. It also ensures variety, so that if one topic has two names, eachthese names will be used. For example, an article about sports utility vehicles would also be givenmetadata keywords '4 wheel drives', '4WDs''four wheel drives', as thiswhat theyknown asAustralia.
For an exampleMetadataan Audio CD look atMusicBrainz project, orMusicbrainz Metadata Initiative
Some filesystems keep metadata about files off-band while others keepinfilename or insidefile. Examplesmetadata arefiletype, abstracts, iconss. Examplesfilesystems that keep metadata separate but related toactual data areBFSBeOS, HPFSOS/2ReiserFSLinux.
See also XML, RDF, Dublin Core, Kendra initiative, MOF, meta tags, m:Edit metadata
Metadata® isname ofUS corporation andregistered trademark inUnited States.
Inearly summer1969, Jack E. Myers coinedterm "metadata"first usedin print in1973 product brochure. He intentionally designed itbetermno particular meaning. A datapublication search at that time did not discover any prior use either ofword "metadata" or "meta data." The word Metadata® was registered1986 astrademark (U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,409,206) belongingThe Metadata Company. The trademark was granted "incontestable" status1991. Metadata isproprietary mark which standsThe Metadata Company.
The Metadata Company has attemptedthreaten people legally into not usingword "metadata" ingeneric sense. Many people believe that due towidespread use ofword "metadata" ingeneric sense as "data about data", itlikely that"Metadata" trademark has enteredpublic domain by becominggeneral term. This waslegal opinion expressed byOffice ofSolicitor ofUnited States Department ofInterior toFederal Geographic Data Committee whenlatter was threatened by Metadata's lawyersits use ofword "metadata" ingeneric sense. However, no judge has as yet ruledtrademark invalid.
