Metatietoon

Metatietoon is the illative form of metatieto in Finnish and is used when referring to metadata in contexts that express direction toward or relation to metadata. In general, metatieto (metadata) is data about data: information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes data easier to find, understand and use.

Metatietoon describes the purpose and functions of metadata. It enables discovery and access to resources, supports management and preservation, and facilitates interoperability between systems. Typical categories of metatieto include descriptive metadata (titles, authors, subjects, keywords), administrative metadata (rights, provenance, archival information, file formats), and structural metadata (how complex resources are organized, such as chapters or relationships between files).

Metadata are usually created and managed according to standards and schemas to ensure consistency and exchangeability. Common examples include Dublin Core, PREMIS, METS and MODS, and the data can be represented in formats such as XML, JSON-LD or RDF. Metadata can be embedded in digital objects or stored in separate catalogs or repositories, enabling automated harvesting and cross-system searching.

In practice, metatietoon is central to libraries, archives, museums, research data management and digital repositories. It supports resource discovery, access control, provenance tracking, rights management and long-term preservation. The quality of metadata—completeness, accuracy, consistency and timeliness—directly affects the usefulness of the underlying data and the efficiency of information systems.