NMFS - InPort

InPort Instructions

Form 1: Data Set Identification

Title

Human readable label for the InPort catalog item.

The title should be as descriptive as possible, employing terms that clearly identify the specific subject and unique contents of the record.

Data Set Scope Code

Scope of resource for which the metadata is provided.

Abstract

A brief narrative summary.

The abstract should clearly reference the specific subject and unique dimensions of the resource being documented, along with explicit consideration of major scientific concepts, keywords, and other descriptive terms to aid system users in searching through the metadata records and identifying relevant ones.

The abstract should avoid describing the larger project, system, or study as often as possible.

Purpose

Purpose or a summary of intentions with which the item was developed.

Creation Date

The creation date of the item described by the metadata record.

Catalog Item Status

Status of this catalog item. This is the status of the actual item being documented - not the metadata.

Form 2: Keywords

Thesaurus

The keyword thesaurus, if any, that the keyword belongs to.

Keyword

The keyword word or phrase.

Form 3: Access

Waiver Y/N

Indicates if there is an approved waiver (or a waiver has been submitted) limiting the access of the data.

Select "Yes" if a data access waiver has been submitted.

Select "No" if the data set does not require a waiver or a waiver has not been submitted.

Access Constraint

Restrictions and legal prerequisites for accessing the data set. Includes any access constraints applied to assure privacy or intellectual property and any special restrictions on the use of the data.

For data with limitations to public access, a description of the methods by which the data are protected from unauthorized access or disclosure should be provided.

Form 4: Distribution

Start Date

Date when the data was available for access via the distribution

End Date

Date when the data was no longer available for access via the distribution

Download URL

The complete Universal Resource Locator (web address) where the data can be accessed.

Distributor

The individual or organization that is responsible for providing access to the data

File Name

The name of the file to be downloaded.

Include the full path and file extension if necessary.

File Description

A brief description of the character and content of the file being downloaded.

File Type

A description of the type of file that is available for download.

Valid types include (but are not limited to): PDF, ZIP, CSV, ORDS Endpoint

Form 5: Time Frame

Time Frame Type

Time Frame types:

• Continuing: The activity described by the metadata record is ongoing (start date, but no end date).

• Range: The activity described by the metadata records occurred during a specific period of time (start and end date).

• Discrete: The activity described by the metadata record occurred at a given point in time (start date only).

Start Datetime

The date/time (GMT) when the activity described in the data collection event record occurred or was initiated.

Required for all Time Frame Types

End Datetime

The date/time (GMT) when the activity described in the metadata record was completed.

Required for Range only

Description

Narrative description of the time frame.

Form 6: Geographic Area

W. Dec. Degrees

The westernmost longitude in which the data was collected.

Format: Real numbers; range from -180.0 to 180.0 longitude.

For data sets that include a complete band of latitude around the earth, the West Bounding Coordinate shall be assigned the value -180.0.

Latitude and Longitude do not apply to every Data Set. Latitude and Longitude can be empty so long as a description of the geographic area is provided in the field below.

Only the first Boundary Box is indexed by the NOAA Data Catalog at this time.

E. Dec. Degrees

The easternmost longitude in which the data was collected.

Format: Real numbers; range from -180.0 to 180.0 longitude.

For data sets that include a complete band of latitude around the earth, the East Bounding Coordinate shall be assigned the value 180.0.

Latitude and Longitude do not apply to every Data Set. Latitude and Longitude can be empty so long as a description of the geographic area is provided in the field below.

Only the first Boundary Box is indexed by the NOAA Data Catalog at this time.

N. Dec. Degrees

The northernmost latitude in which the data was collected. Format: Real numbers; range from -90.0 to 90.0 latitude.

Latitude and Longitude do not apply to every Data Set. Latitude and Longitude can be empty so long as a description of the geographic area is provided in the field below.

Only the first Boundary Box is indexed by the NOAA Data Catalog at this time.

S. Dec. Degrees

The southernmost latitude in which the data was collected.

Format: Real numbers; range from -90.0 to 90.0 latitude.

Latitude and Longitude do not apply to every Data Set. Latitude and Longitude can be empty so long as a description of the geographic area is provided in the field below.

Only the first Boundary Box is indexed by the NOAA Data Catalog at this time.

Area Description

A description of the geographic area in which the activity documented in the metadata record occurred. Include landmass info, island groups, ocean sector, etc.

This is currently a free text field in order to not limit nor restrict the description of the geographic area.

The area description do not apply to every Data Set. Area Description can be empty so long as the Latitude and Longitude of the geographic area is provided in the field above.

Form 7: History

Data Set Scope Code

Scope of resource for which the metadata is provided.

Lineage Statement

A description of data processing steps used to generate the dataset.

General explanation of the data producer's knowledge of the dataset lineage.

Form 8: Lineage Source

Citation Title

Citation for the source for the dataset.

Contact Role Type

The type of role for the contact.

Contact Type

The type of contact for the originator/publisher.

Contact Name

The originator or publisher for the source citation.

Publish Date

The publication date of the source citation.

Extent Type

The type of temporal extent - Discrete, Range, or Continuing.

Extent Start

The start of the temporal coverage in the source dataset.

Extent End

The end of the temporal coverage in the source dataset.

Scale Denominator

The number below the line in a proper fraction where the numerator is equal to 1.

Citation URL

URL Citation for the source.

Citation URL Name

Name of the webpage that the citation URL points to.

Source Contribution

Brief statement identifying the information contributed by the source to the data set.

Form 9: Lineage Process Steps

Sequence Num

The sequence number of this process step.

Description

Description of the process performed in this step.

Do not describe multiple process steps using a single description field. Only describe one step per Lineage Process

Process Date/Time

The date/time when the process was completed.

Process Contact

The person, organization, or position that performed the process.

Source Citation

The lineage source associated with this process step.

Form 10: Instruments

If Instrument information is not available for this Data Set, please indicate that this is the case, as well as the reason.

Instrument Unavailable Reason

Principal reason that instrument information is not available.

Form 11: Platforms

If Platform information is not available for this Data Set, please indicate that this is the case, as well as the reason.

Platform Unavailable Reason

Principal reason that platform information is not available.

Form 12: Quality

Data Accuracy

A description of what is known about the degree of agreement between an individual measurement (or the central tendency of a number of measurements) to the true value, including random (precision) and systematic (bias) error associated with all aspects of a measurement system.

Analytical Accuracy

A description of the closeness of the values derived from the analytical measurement to the true value.

Quantitation Limits Measure

The measure of the quantities of a target variable that can be quantified with the certainty required by the data user.

Bias

(Or bias number). A discussion of any systematic or persistent distortions in a measurement process that cause errors in one direction.

Comparability

A description of the confidence that data sets contributing to a common analysis or interpolation were similar.

Completeness

The measure that describes the amount of usable data obtained compared to the planned amount.

Precision

A description of what is known about the degree of mutual agreement among individual measurements of the same property under prescribed similar conditions.

Precision

A description of what is known about the degree of mutual agreement among individual measurements of the same property under prescribed similar conditions.

Analytical Precision

A measure of agreement among individual measurements of the same property in duplicate laboratory samples.

Field Precision

A measure of agreement among measurements of the same property in samples collocated or duplicated in the field under prescribed conditions.

Sensitivity

The measure of the capability of a method or instrument to discriminate between measurement responses representing different levels of a variable of interest.

Detection Limit

The measure that describes the quantity of a sample below which the sample analysis equipment will not detect the analyte accurately.

Completeness Report

Information about omissions, selection criteria, generalization, definitions used, and other rules used to derive the data set.

Conceptual Consistency

The level to which the Data Set adheres to the conceptual schema.

Form 13: URLs

URL

The complete Universal Resource Locator (web address) needed to access the web resource.

Name

Name associated with the online Resource (URL).

URL Type

The type of URL - Online Resource, Browse Graphic, or Other.

File Resource Format

The format (e.g. "JPG", "GIF", "HTML") of the file/resource listed.

URL Description

A detailed description of what a user can access via the URL.