metatiedot

Metatiedot, or metadata, are structured information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, and manage a data resource. The term is widely used across libraries, archives, web services, and digital media. Metadata can be descriptive, structural, or administrative in nature.

Descriptive metadata identifies content and context through fields such as title, author, date, subject, and keywords. Structural metadata describes data organization and relationships, for example how a digital object is sequenced or linked to another resource. Administrative metadata covers provenance, copyright, access restrictions, file formats, and preservation information.

Common standards and formats include Dublin Core for descriptive metadata, METS and PREMIS for packaging and preservation, and domain-specific schemas such as ISO 19115 for geospatial data. For multimedia, EXIF and IPTC embed metadata in image files; on the web, schema.org annotations help search engines index pages; XMP enables metadata to travel with files.

Metadata supports discovery, interoperability, data governance, and long-term preservation. It can be embedded in the data (as file metadata) or stored separately in catalogs, repositories, and data inventories. Metadata quality and consistency are essential for effective reuse.

Ethical and privacy considerations apply to metadata: even when the data may be non-sensitive, metadata can reveal information about people, locations, or internal processes, necessitating access controls and redaction where appropriate.