At first glance, the term metadata evokes a technical image and almost guarantees a trip to the dictionary. Metadata is not viewed as a "user friendly" topic, but this image is not completely deserved. Simply defined, metadata is "data about data." Used in the context of digital spatial data, metadata is the background information which describes the content, quality, condition, and other appropriate characteristics of the data. Paper maps contain metadata, primarily as part of the map legend. In this form, metadata is readily apparent and easily transferred between map producers and map users. When map data are in a digital form, metadata is equally as important, but its development and maintenance often require a more conscious effort on the part of data producers and the chain of subsequent users who may modify the data to suit their particular needs.

That format adopted by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is based on the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM). 

The standard is organized into seven major sections (see below). Each of these seven sections contain a hierarchy of data elements and compound elements that define the information content for metadata to document a set of digital geospatial data.

1. Identification Information
2. Data Quality Information
3. Spatial Data Organization Information
4. Spatial Reference Information
5. Entity and Attribute Information
6. Distribution Information
7. Metadata Reference Information

1. Identification Information:
   basic information about the data set. 
   
        - Citation
        - Abstract
        - Purpose
        - Use Constraints
        - Person(s) to contact for questions about the data
    
2. Data Quality Information:
   a general assessment of the quality of the data set.
   
        - Source Information (Lineage)
        - Process Steps (Steps used to create the data set)
   
3. Spatial Data Organization Information:
   the mechanism used to represent spatial information in the data set.
   
        - Objects used to represent space in the data set (Point,           Vector, Raster)
   
4. Spatial Reference Information:
   the description of the reference frame for, and the means to encode, coordinates in the data set.
   
        - Data Projection (UTM, IDTM, etc.)
   
5. Entity and Attribute Information:
   details about the information content of the data set, including the entity types, their attributes, and the domains from which attribute values may be assigned.
   
        - Summary of the attributes
        - Definitions of the attributes
        - Values and units of measure for the attributes
   
6. Distribution Information:
   information about the distributor of and options for obtaining the data set.
   
        - What format the data are in (Shapefile, Image, etc.)
        - How the data are compressed (.tgz, .zip, etc.)
        - URL to download the data
   
7. Metadata Reference Information:
   information on the currentness of the metadata information, and the responsible party.
   
        - Person(s) to contact for questions about the metadata
        - When the metadata were created

Now that you know the seven major sections of an FGDC-compliant metadata record, click here to view an entire record.  Take some time to browse through it and become familiar with the structure.