This document describes draft revisions to current procedures for documenting data at the NOAA Paleoclimatology Program. The document includes comments on goals and implementation, suggested changes to the FGDC standard needed to produce a paleo data profile, and includes some examples of paleo data documentation. In general, this document follows procedures already being used by NOAA Paleo, adds a few additional metadata items, and seeks to make the data more consistent with the FGDC guidelines.
Metadata standards are a relatively new thing, and are evolving.
Comply with the FGDC standard where appropriate, and modify the FGDC standard as needed to create an effective paleoenvironmental data profile. Comply with federal regulations for documenting geospatial data. Provide metadata that can populate the NOAA server, and the NASA GCMD clearinghouse, and of course the WDC for Paleoclimatology archive. Make paleo data easier to find and use on the web. Prepare for the future where searches for data can be conducted by remote computers that access data provided on our computers.