METeOR: An online metadata registry based on the ISO 11179 standard

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METeOR An online metadata registry based on the
ISO 11179 standard

• David Braddock

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Australian Institute of Health Welfare

• Australia's national agency for health and
  welfare statistics
• Collates data from health and welfare service
  providers across Australia
• e.g. 7 million hospital stay records per year
• Reports to parliament

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We use metadata to

• Ensure comparable data is collected from all
  data providers
• Understand clearly and unambiguously the data
  being transmitted or communicated

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Our metadata is

• A structured description of the expected content,
  quality, format and other characteristics of data
• Developed in collaboration with expert groups
  (e.g. emergency physicians)
• Endorsed by national information committees

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You receive
185

• Meaningless without additional information!
• Is it a street number, a bank balance or a
  service type code?

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• 185 becomes meaningful if you know
• it relates to (e.g. a person)
• what is described (e.g. their height)
• the unit of measure (e.g. centimetres) 
• how was it obtained (e.g. self-reported)
• These are metadata building blocks

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For us it looks like

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ISO 11179-based building blocks

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For more information
What is METeOR?

• Explore meteor.aihw.gov.au
• Visit AIHW to discuss METeOR
• Attend one or our many training sessions

MET Metadata O Online R Registry
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What is METeOR?

• System for creation, review, endorsement,
  publication and maintenance of metadata
• Customised content management system
• xml
• version control editing features
• role-based views
• Hosted externally totally online

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Types of user

• General users browse and search the site, view
  and download metadata
• Developers authorised to create and submit
  metadata on-line
• Registrars authorised tomaintain metadata
  quality and progress items

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Finding metadata

• Metadata available online at no cost to all
  users
• Quickly found using search browse
• Collected in a shopping basket
• Easily downloaded into Word or PDF for printing
• Located by its own URL

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Quicksearch for metadata
Top menu - persists
Navigation menu page specific
Site search for help
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Actions
Select item
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Glossary item
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Creating metadata

• Quality metadata creation can be time consuming
• METeORs reusable building blocks allow
• faster creation approval times
• reduced duplication
• Helpful business rules
• Private workspaces

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Existing developers login
New password
New developers
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New actions
New actions
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Action menu
Recent creation list
Creating new metadata menu
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Creation tool
Suggest name
Formatted text
Help icons
Browse
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Managing metadata

• Management tool for
• bulk processing
• excellent editing version control
• push-button downloads
• flexible download outputs
• timed release

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Lifecycle
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Multiple sectors

• Manages metadata for three sectors (potentially
  more)
• Whole of government approach (i.e. consistent
  data collected within across sectors)
• Metadata can be registered differently in each
  sector

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Sector
Reg status
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Process for changing registration status
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Complete record of all changes made
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Underlying xml
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Experience to date

• Six months of operation
• 250,000 hits per month
• 80 workspaces with 170 developers
• 26 government agencies
• 7 NGOs
• Metadata content increased by 110
• 10 registrars 1 system administrator

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Experience to date

• Governance, business rules content are
  critical
• Building blocks have encouraged harmonisation and
  reuse
• Object class model hardest
• Balancing advanced basic user needs
• Understanding 11179 is important

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What next

• Ongoing training workshops
• User consultation
• Exploring options to
• Increase coverage
• Add new sectors
• Include agency specific metadata
• xml web service

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meteor.aihw.gov.au