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- Name/Version Reviewed: fgdcmeta.aml, Version 1.1
- Reviewer / Date: Hugh Phillips / October 1997
- Date of last known release: May 15, 1998 (version 1.2) This is what is new in version 1.2
- Function: Intelligent CSDGM metadata extraction tool
- Background Information and Software
- Platform:System with ArcInfo for UNIX or NT
- Principal Contact: Dan Nelson, Illinois State Geological Survey, nelson@isgs.uiuc.edu
- Status: Available
- Metadata Storage Structure: Discrete
- Brief Description:
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FGDCMETA.AML was derived (the author described this as hacked) from DOCUMENT.AML, the prototype intelligent metadata tool for ArcInfo and ArcInfo datasets. The important function retained from the original tool is its metadata extraction capability, that is its capability to extract coordinate sytem information (if the data set has a .prj file), bounding box in latitude and longitude, and vector or raster object count directly from an ArcInfo data set. When this task is completed, FGDCMETA.AML produces a template document with metadata elements and formatting suitable for mp (embedding the extracted information), and passes off further responsibility for metadata entry to an editor (like vi or xtme) better suited for filling in what can only be done manually.
The tool can produce either a fairly minimal template document (sections 1 and 7 of the CSDGM plus whatever was extracted for sections 3 and 4), or a more complete template that includes all the major sections (but not all the possible subsections). It produces an ASCII metadata file in the default directory, even when the dataset it is applied to is in another directory. That is an attractive attribute for data managers who don't want activity taking place in amongst valuable data libraries. The tool was applied to several test coverages and a GRID with an encouraging level of success. It looks like it might also be applicable to TINS (but I haven't tried it). FGDCMETA.AML could still use some fine tuning.
- Cost: None
- Notable Plus: Very fast. Does a focussed job pretty well.
- Notable Minus:
- Metadata Exchange:
- FGDCMETA.AML does not import metadata from other tools; it extracts it from datasets. The partially populated metadata templates it produces are compatible with mp, and if completed correctly, will be CSDGM compliant.
- Useability:
- The tool provides an abbreviated usage guide when run without parameters. It comes with an informative README file, and the AML is well commented internally. This tool can only create new partially completed metadata template files for a dataset; it cannot update an existing metadata file.
- Administrative:
- This tool operates on systems with UNIX or NT ArcInfo. The AML occupies about 70K of disk space. It is very easy to install: after un-tarring the distribution, just copy the FGDCMETA.AML file to directory that Arc can find. The tool is really just a script, and in that sense, when you have the tool, you have the source code. It could be modified by someone knowledgeable in AML to produce customized output.
- Tool Reliability: Seems pretty stable...
- Sample of Interface: command driven
- Sample of output:
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