Metadata subsetting framework

The amount of research data online is growing exponentially, scattered across a multitude of locations and stored in various formats on a wide variety of platforms. The value of metadata which assists us in determining the relevance, location, and accessibility of data and related research, has become correspondingly more important. Although there are a number of international standards that govern the format and structure of metadata in specific disciplines, the complexity of these standards makes it difficult for data owners and clearinghouses to create and manage metadata effectively. The Metadata Subsetting Framework is a system that allows metadata clearinghouses to define a subset of a metadata standard, containing the fields most relevant to the specific domain. The system automatically generates an interface specifically customized for the subset, with capabilities for validating user inputs against constraints expressed in the subset. Implemented as a collection of Java components, the system produces a complete inmemory representation of XML Schema documents expressing the structural and data constraints of a subsetted metadata standard. A knowledgeable user builds the subset by manipulating these constraints via a web-based interface. Subsetting makes the metadata entry process easier and less error-prone, thereby improving the quality of metadata.