Metadata are data about data.
It is a way of documenting information about datasets. The information contained in metadata will document the creation of a dataset and give you an idea of what the cartographic product to which it is attached was designed to do. The following links will take you to further information and examples of metadata and explain the who, what, where, why, and when of metadata. The major objective of the Circular is the eventual development of a national digital spatial information resource. AML Metadata Creation Tool .