Metadata

Below, examples are provided of chapter-level and dataset-level metadata using the Dublin Core Element Set, extended with additional column descriptions.

Dublin-Core Element Set

Field	Description
title	The name of the dataset.
creator	Person or organization responsible for creating the dataset.
subject	Keywords or subjects describing the dataset.
description	A brief summary of the dataset.
publisher	The entity making the dataset available.
contributor	Additional contributors to the dataset.
date	Date of publication or creation.
type	The type of resource (e.g., dataset, text, image).
format	The file format (e.g., CSV, JSON).
identifier	A unique identifier for the dataset, such as a DOI.
source	The origin of the dataset or related resources.
language	Language of the dataset's content.
relation	Links to related datasets or projects.
coverage	Spatial and temporal extent of the dataset.
rights	Information about copyright and licensing.

Dataset-level metadata

Dataset-level example txt format

file

Title: Example Dataset on Species Distribution
Creator: Jane Doe
Subject: Ecology; Species Distribution; Climate Change
Description: This dataset includes species distribution data collected in North America between 2010 and 2020, with associated climate variables.
Publisher: University of Research
Contributor: John Smith
Date: 2024-11-06
Type: Dataset
Format: CSV
Identifier: doi:10.1234/example-dataset
Source: Field surveys, remote sensing data
Language: English
Relation: Is part of the Climate Change and Biodiversity Project
Coverage:
    Spatial: North America
    Temporal: 2010-01-01 to 2020-12-31
Rights: CC-BY-4.0

Column Descriptions:
species_name: The scientific name of the species (Type: String, Unit: N/A).
latitude: Latitude coordinate of the observation (Type: Float, Unit: Degrees).
longitude: Longitude coordinate of the observation (Type: Float, Unit: Degrees).
observation_date: The date of observation (Type: Date, Unit: ISO 8601).
temperature: Average temperature at the time of observation (Type: Float, Unit: Celsius).

Dataset-level example JSON format

file

{
  "title": "Example Dataset on Species Distribution",
  "creator": "Jane Doe",
  "subject": "Ecology; Species Distribution; Climate Change",
  "description": "This dataset includes species distribution data collected in North America between 2010 and 2020, with associated climate variables.",
  "publisher": "University of Research",
  "contributor": "John Smith",
  "date": "2024-11-06",
  "type": "Dataset",
  "format": "CSV",
  "identifier": "doi:10.1234/example-dataset",
  "source": "Field surveys, remote sensing data",
  "language": "en",
  "relation": "IsPartOf: Climate Change and Biodiversity Project",
  "coverage": {
    "spatial": "North America",
    "temporal": "2010-01-01/2020-12-31"
  },
  "rights": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "columns": [
    {
      "name": "species_name",
      "description": "The scientific name of the species.",
      "type": "string",
      "unit": "N/A"
    },
    {
      "name": "latitude",
      "description": "Latitude coordinate of the observation.",
      "type": "float",
      "unit": "degrees"
    },
    {
      "name": "longitude",
      "description": "Longitude coordinate of the observation.",
      "type": "float",
      "unit": "degrees"
    },
    {
      "name": "observation_date",
      "description": "The date when the observation was recorded.",
      "type": "date",
      "unit": "ISO 8601"
    },
    {
      "name": "temperature",
      "description": "Average temperature at the time of observation.",
      "type": "float",
      "unit": "Celsius"
    }
  ]
}

Chapter-level metadata

Chapter-level example txt format

file

Title: Chapter 3: Climate Impacts on Biodiversity  
Creator: Jane Doe  
Subject: Biodiversity; Climate Change; Species Distribution  
Description: This chapter explores the effects of climate change on species distribution across North America.  
Publisher: University of Research  
Contributor: John Smith  
Date: 2024-11-06  
Type: Text; Dataset  
Format: PDF; CSV; R scripts  
Identifier: doi:10.1234/chapter3-climate-biodiversity  
Source: Fieldwork data, Remote sensing data  
Language: en  
Relation: PartOf: Dissertation on Climate and Ecosystems  
Coverage:  
  - Spatial: North America  
  - Temporal: 2010-01-01 to 2020-12-31  
Rights: CC-BY-4.0

Datasets:  
  - Name: species_distribution.csv  
    Description: Species occurrence data collected across North America.  
    Columns:  
      - Name: species_name  
        Description: The scientific name of the species.  
        Type: string  
        Unit: N/A  
      - Name: latitude  
        Description: Latitude coordinate of the observation.  
        Type: float  
        Unit: degrees  
      - Name: longitude  
        Description: Longitude coordinate of the observation.  
        Type: float  
        Unit: degrees  
      - Name: observation_date  
        Description: The date of observation.  
        Type: date  
        Unit: ISO 8601  
      - Name: temperature  
        Description: Average temperature at the time of observation.  
        Type: float  
        Unit: Celsius  
Scripts:  
  - Name: analysis_script.R  
    Description: An R script for analyzing species distribution and climate data.  
    Dependencies: R 4.2.0, tidyverse, sp

Chapter-level example JSON format

file

{
  "title": "Chapter 3: Climate Impacts on Biodiversity",
  "creator": "Jane Doe",
  "subject": "Biodiversity; Climate Change; Species Distribution",
  "description": "This chapter explores the effects of climate change on species distribution across North America.",
  "publisher": "University of Research",
  "contributor": "John Smith",
  "date": "2024-11-06",
  "type": "Text; Dataset",
  "format": "PDF; CSV; R scripts",
  "identifier": "doi:10.1234/chapter3-climate-biodiversity",
  "source": "Fieldwork data, Remote sensing data",
  "language": "en",
  "relation": "PartOf: Dissertation on Climate and Ecosystems",
  "coverage": {
    "spatial": "North America",
    "temporal": "2010-01-01/2020-12-31"
  },
  "rights": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "datasets": [
    {
      "name": "species_distribution.csv",
      "description": "Species occurrence data collected across North America.",
      "columns": [
        {
          "name": "species_name",
          "description": "The scientific name of the species.",
          "type": "string",
          "unit": "N/A"
        },
        {
          "name": "latitude",
          "description": "Latitude coordinate of the observation.",
          "type": "float",
          "unit": "degrees"
        },
        {
          "name": "longitude",
          "description": "Longitude coordinate of the observation.",
          "type": "float",
          "unit": "degrees"
        },
        {
          "name": "observation_date",
          "description": "The date of observation.",
          "type": "date",
          "unit": "ISO 8601"
        },
        {
          "name": "temperature",
          "description": "Average temperature at the time of observation.",
          "type": "float",
          "unit": "Celsius"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "scripts": [
    {
      "name": "analysis_script.R",
      "description": "An R script for analyzing species distribution and climate data.",
      "dependencies": ["R 4.2.0", "tidyverse", "sp"]
    }
  ]
}