PURPOSE AND SCOPE
OF THE FOREST SERVICE METADATA USERS GUIDE

Metadata can take many forms such as hand-written notes, field logs, text files, process logs and GPS data dictionaries. This guide focuses on how to create, publish, and manage formal metadata that conform to FGDC CONTENT STANDARD for GEOSPATIAL METADATA.

-- Help Forest Service comply with legal requirements for metadata creation
(see Executive Order #12906).

-- Improve employee understanding of the need for metadata as it pertains to GIS spatial data sets.

-- Help walk Forest Service employees through the steps of creating formal metadata.

NOTE: This guide addresses focuses on metadata for geospatial data sets such as coverages and shapefiles. Metadata for tabular data residing within National Applications, such as INFRA, is not within the scope of this guide.

How to Use this Users Guide