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Share Data > Providing Data > NBN Data Exchange format > Optional XML header

Optional XML metadata header

 

Structure of XML header, with description of elements are given below. Required elements and attributes are indicated with their name. All other elements are optional or conditional on the contents of the dataset.
 
<Metadata exchangeFormatVersion=”2.4” datestamp=date gatewayId=”text”>
<DatasetTitle>text</DatasetTitle >
<DatasetProvider>text</DatasetProvider>
<Abstract>
            <Description>text</Description>
            <DataCaptureMethod>text</DataCaptureMethod>
            <Purpose>text</Purpose>
            <GeographicCoverage>text</GeographicCoverage>
            <TemporalCoverage>text</TemporalCoverage>
            <DatasetConfidence>text</DatasetConfidence>
            <AdditionalInformation>text</AdditionalInformation>
</Abstract>
   <AccessConstraints>text</AccessConstraints>
   <UseConstraints>text</UseConstraints>
<Survey providerId=”text”>
            <Name>text</Name>
            <Abstract>
               <Description>text</Description>
                <DataCaptureMethod>text</DataCaptureMethod>
                <Purpose>text</Purpose>
                <GeographicCoverage>text</GeographicCoverage>
                <TemporalCoverage>text</TemporalCoverage>
                <DatasetConfidence>text</DatasetConfidence>
                <AdditionalInformation>text</AdditionalInformation>
            </Abstract>
   </Survey>
   <OccurrenceAttribute>
               <Name>text</Name>
               <Description>text</Description>
   </OccurrenceAttribute >
</Metadata>
 
<Metadata>
[Required]
 
 
 
 
 
This element is used to identify and delimit the metadata XML. Attributes are
§ exchangeFormatVersion=”2.4” [Required]
The version of the NBN exchange format used
§ datestamp=date [Required]
The date the file was produced (dd/mm/yyyy)
§ gatewayId=”text”
The dataset key of the dataset, if this file replaces it. Otherwise, do not include this attribute
<DatasetTitle>
[Required]
A title to identify the dataset on the Gateway.
e.g. “Demonstration dataset for the NBN Gateway”
<DatasetProvider>
[Required]
The name of the organisation that provided the dataset.
 
<Abstract>
[Required]
This element contains other elements that provide an abstract for the dataset as a whole.
A brief summary of the content of each element is provided below but please refer to the NBN guidelines on producing good metadata, provided within the Metadata Form for Species Datasets
<DatasetDescription>
[Required]
A general description of the dataset.
<DataCaptureMethod>
The methods used to collect the data.
<DatasetPurpose>
The reason for the creation of the dataset, including details of the purpose of the dataset.
<GeographicCoverage>
A description of the geographic extent and coverage of the dataset.
<TemporalCoverage>
The temporal extent and coverage of the dataset.
<DatasetConfidence>
An indication of the dataset quality, for example: whether all grid references have been checked, or difficult or rare species have been verified by an expert.
<AdditionalInformation>
 
References to any additional information about the dataset that may be available, for example, websites, atlases or other publications.
<AccessConstraints>
A position statement about who can access the dataset on the Gateway and any reasons you may have for restricting this.
This statement will often be reflected in the access a data provider sets for the dataset on the Gateway using the online controls.
<UseConstraints>
A statement on any restrictions on the way the dataset can be used, over and above the NBN Gateway general terms and conditions.
<Survey>
The element that represents and delimits one survey within a dataset. Survey elements are optional. You can have zero, one or many surveys within a dataset.
Attributes are
§ providerId = ”text” [Required]
The SurveyKey used within the data section.
<Name>
The name of the survey.
<Abstract>
An abstract for the survey.
This contains the same elements as the dataset abstract described above.
<OccurrenceAttribute>
[Required]
(if attribute supplied)
Attributes such as ‘Abundance’ will have a different meaning for different datasets and so the values will not be directly comparable between datasets.
Additional occurrence attributes within a dataset must be therefore be described.
<Name>
[Required]
(if attribute supplied)
The occurrence attribute name as it appears in the data section.
<Description>
[Required]
(if attribute supplied)
A brief description of the attribute, including any units of measurement where applicable.
 

 

 
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