Can you define Metadata?

Throughout my experiences with building enterprise class DAM systems it never fails that I run into a person or group that doesn't understand metadata. In some cases I run into project teams that don't even know the definition of metadata.

 

Here goes.... Metadata 101. Metadata is actually a very simple concept, it is something that all of us use everyday but just don't realize it. Metadata is information that describes a given object. It is as simple as that. The proper definition of your metadata model will either make or break your DAM implementation. Metadata should be used to define the characteristics of a piece of content (video, picture, audio, etc.) so that someone or something can intelligently locate that content in the future. In my opinion, metadata should not contain definitions that are specific to one individual application or presentation of the content. My reason for making that bold statement is that if every use of a piece of content needed the metadata to contain the specific definitions for it's use then your model would be incredibly large within an enterprise environment.

So what should be in your metadata model? We'll go with the easy ones first. You should include attributes about the content; file size, bit rates, pixels (height, width), format type, etc. Now let’s look at the more complex ones. A metadata model should include corporate wide information such as digital rights information, approval status, copyright (or ownership) information, brief description of the content, etc. Essentially I always ask the question, can and will everyone benefit from this information? If the answer if yes or a majority yes then it probably should be in the metadata model.

Have you noticed that I have not used the word asset in this article? That was intentional; another thing I come across is the misuse of the word asset. An asset is both the content and the metadata.