Geodoc metadata now discoverable on data.gov.uk

Geodoc users can now have their dataset description discoverable on the UK Government’s data.gov.uk website.

Geodoc is the geospatial metadata creation tool available through the EDINA GoGeo service, a geodata portal freely available to the geospatial community since 2003. Geodoc users will now see their dataset description appearing not only in GoGeo but also within the collection of over 1,000 location datasets described at data.gov.uk/location.

Supported by the Jisc Managing Research Data programme, academic institutions across the UK are combining research data management tools, processes, and training to manage research data.

Geodoc usage statistics reveal considerable uptake over the past five years, with users from 49 academic institutions accessing Geodoc 3,113 times to create 2,316 metadata records. As more academic institutions adhere to an internal data management policy, and encourage the publication of their metadata on the GoGeo portal, more spatial data will be discoverable for reuse. The addition of Geodoc-created metadata to data.gov.uk widens the audience able to discover the metadata, thus increasing the potential value to researchers.

The organisation of geospatial metadata workshops has also played a key role in drawing attention to the importance of metadata for the purposes of data discovery and management. The next workshops can be found on the EDINA website at edina.ac.uk/events, or by contacting us on edina@ed.ac.uk.

• gogeo.ac.uk
• data.gov.uk/location