Benefits

1
the Consultation.. recognized the crucial
importance of standards for addressing some of
the key problems affecting access to agricultural
information and data exchange on the Internet.
This includes the implementation of international
agreements on content management, classification
schemes and agreed vocabulariesCOAIM 2000.
2
AgStandards Initiatives

• November 2000 workshop in Brussels (FAO and
  OneWorld Europe) to initiate discussion about a
  Metadata schema.
• July 2001 concept paper about an agricultural
  ontology service

Gauri Salokhe FAO, UN
21 May 2002
3
Why do we need common metadata?

• We are able to say that in a given application
  dctitle means A name given to the resource
• And for example, notA title given to a person,
  such as Sir or Ms.
• Standardization ensures that we are talking about
  the same thing!

4
Example Common Environment

• Parallel search queries to search across systems

Query to search title tag for Shrimp Production
in Thailand
wrapper
wrapper
wrapper
arctitle
mytitle
besttitle
5
Example Ideal Environment

• Single search across systems

6
Example Achievable Compromise

• Single search across systems

AgMES compliant XML mapping
7
Metadata Standards

• Its not lack of standards, its that we have too
  many of them!!!
• Dublin Core, DOI, ltindecsgt, EPICS, RDF and more
• Most are developed either by
• standards body (ISO)
• a community of practice (DCMI)
• a company (local use)

8
Metadata Standards

• Dublin Core
• 15 simple elements for resource discovery
• Qualified DC
• Why DC?
• Its goal is resource discovery which meets our
  requirements.
• We also need to avoid reinventing the wheel

9
Development of AgMES

• AgMES Agricultural Metadata Element Set
• http//www.fao.org/agris/agmes/
• Specifies elements necessary for precise and
  complete description of resources within the
  Agricultural Domain
• Cant we just use DC Qualified?
• No, its not domain specific

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When do we need something new?

• Use existing single schema where possible
• else
• Use an existing domain specific schema
• else
• Borrow a term from another namespace
• else
• Create local namespace and recommend an extension
  to existing element (schemes or refinements)
• else
• Create an element

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A Sample from AgMES
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Benefits of AgMES?

• Gives meaning to our data across the organization
• Semantics
• Interoperability
• Domain specific controlled vocabularies
• AGROVOC
• ASFA
• As more and more information becomes available,
  discovery gets harder
• a common tool to sort through them

Gauri Salokhe FAO, UN
21 May 2002
13
What are Schemas?

• Schemas
• Describe concepts and existing relationships
  between those concepts (Ontologies)
• Can be encoded in machine processable way.
• Namespace schema
• Allows for declaration of newly defined terms
  and their definitions
• Application Profile schema
• Allows for declaration of use of terms by
  specific applications

• Ex. DC, AgMES

Gauri Salokhe FAO, UN

• Ex. AGRIS AP, CGIAR AP

21 May 2002
14
Overview
SCHEMAS
AGRIS APS
DC NS
AgMES NS
DCQ NS
AGLS NS
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Why an AGRIS application Profile?

• AGRIS is an information exchange network
• More than 50 active centres
• 70.000 references a year
• Very heterogeneous centres with different local
  needs and systems
• The existing AGRIS standards (from 1975) are not
  sufficient
• Too much focused on one central database
• Not considering digital objects
• Not compliant to other Standards (DC, OAI-MHP)
• Too much linked to a specific database structure
  and specific processing software (AGRIN)
• Demand for XML based input procedures

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AGRIS Application Profile

• Will present a common format on which information
  between centers can be exchanged
• Publishing the metadata allows us to specify what
  AGRIS metadata means
• Based primarily on accepted standards DC, AGLS
• Specifications will be made available in
  following formats
• Narrative
• DTD
• XML Schema
• RDF Schema

Gauri Salokhe FAO, UN
21 May 2002
17
AGRIS Application Profile

• DC.Title with xmllang attribute to indicate the
  language in which the title is written

• English Title 120,220
• French Title 122,222
• Spanish Title 124,224
• Other Title 126,226

• AGS Subject Classification with ASC as schemes
  XML seq is used to make sure that we retain the
  order

• Primary subject Category 7
• Secondary Subject Category 8

• DC Date Issued

• Imprint Date of Publication 263, 463

Analytical, Monograph, Serials
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AGRIS Application Profile
ltdctitle xmllangengt Water
lt/dctitlegt ltdctitle xmllangesgt
Agua lt/dctitlegt

• English Title 120,220
• French Title 122,222
• Spanish Title 124,224
• Other Title 126,226

ltdcsubjectgt ltagsclassification
schemeagsascgt Water lt/agsclassificationgt lt/dc
subjectgt

• Primary subject Category 7
• Secondary Subject Category 8

• Imprint Date of Publication 263, 463

ltdcdategt ltdcqissuedgt 2000 lt/dcqissuedgt lt/dcd
ategt
Analytical, Monograph, Serials
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Conclusion

• AgMES is an implementation independent standard
  that provides elements in addition to DC to store
  and exchange metadata on document like resources
• Local extensions can be made, however, it must
  not compromise interoperability
• Do not reinvent, it is not that there are not
  enough standards, there are actually too many!

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Benefits of AGRIS AP

• focused on one central database

• AP provides opportunities for distributed
  approach

• No consideration for digital objects

• new AGRIS AP standards take into account
  digital objects

• Not compliant to other Standards

• based on DC standards which allows us to be
  OAI-MHP compliant as well
• standardized form provides for improved
  accessibility and visibility in a more open
  environment.

• Linked to a specific database structure and
  specific processing software (AGRIN)

• file structure takes into account unnecessary
  duplication of information in records
• platform independent storage and exchange of
  information

• Demand for XML based input procedures

• XML DTD and Schema are provide

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More Information

• http//www.fao.org/agris/agmes/
• Agricultural Metadata Standards Homepage
• http//www.dublincore.org/
• Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
• http//www.naa.gov.au/recordkeeping/gov_online/agl
  s/cim/cim_manual.html
• Australian Government Locator Service Metadata Set

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More Information

• AgMES Homepage lthttp//www.fao.org/agris/agmes/gt
• AgMES 1.1 Document ltftp//ext-ftp.fao.org/agris/pa
  pers/AGMESNS-DLIO.docgt
• AgMES RDF lthttp//www.purl.org/agmes/1.1/gt
• Glossary of Terms lthttp//www.fao.org/agris/agmes/
  Glossary/glossary.htmgt
• Example of AgMES Use
• AGRIS Guidelines for the Description of
  Information Objects in the International
  Information System on Agricultural Sciences and
  Technology ltftp//ext-ftp.fao.org/agris/papers/AGR
  ISAP-UserGuide.docgt