Introduction to

Controlled Vocabularies

(Term Lists)

Controlled Vocabularies

What: list of terms to choose from

Aim: easier to transfer data

Where: Data Guidelines and Discovery Metadata Standard

Vocabularies are available directly

or

‘served’ using the NERC Vocabulary Server (SeaDataNet)

Example – Platform types

Website

http://vocab.ndg.nerc.ac.uk/client/vocabServer.jsp

NERC Vocab Service:

http://seadatanet.maris2.nl/v_bodc_vocab_v2/welcome.asp

Units, Instruments, platforms, sea areas etc

SeaDataNet

http://seadatanet.maris2.nl/v_bodc_vocab_v2/vocab_relations.asp?lib=P08

SeaDataNet - KeywordsParameter relationships and discovery

Other Useful Controlled Vocabularies

http://www.epsg.org/

http://www.marinespecies.org/msbias/index.php

http://www.ices.dk/datacentre/reco/

How to add?

E-mail Clare Postlethwaite cfpo@bodc.ac.uk – check with appropriate governance group.

Practical

Aim – to familiarise yourself with different controlled vocabularies

1)Find the MEDIN webpage for controlled vocabularies

2)Find:

a) Area code for the Irish Sea (use SeaDataNet)

b) The AphiaID for UK species Mytilus edulis (Common mussel) (use MSBIAS)

c) Code for the horizontal coordinate reference system WGS 84 (use EPSG)

d) The entrykey, vocabulary name and associated date for a Keyword for “Man-made Structure”

a)1_4 (using SeaVoX gazeteer)

[or 19 using SeaDataNet sea areas]

b)140480

c) EPSG: 4326

d) MMST

SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary

date last modified 2008-01-30