Keywords Tab: Product
Adding keywords to your metadata record allows for the record to be found later through a search engine, keywords are the way to tag your projects or products. The mdEditor is designed using thesauruses that contain pre-determined keywords. These thesauruses create a 'controlled vocabulary' so that all SA staff adding metadata can adhere to the same standards, and future search results can return clear results of projects and products.
| Quick Reference: Product Keywords Tab | Required? |
|---|---|
| ISO Topic Category | Required |
| GCMD Keywords | Best Practice |
To add Keywords to your Metadata Record
- Click “+ Add Thesaurus” on the right to add the different thesauruses.
- Add keywords from the following pre-populated thesauruses.
- If none of the keywords in the following categories are sufficient for tagging your record, you can create a custom thesaurus (see below for more information).
Product Required Keywords
ISO Topic Category (Required)
Because mdJSON metadata is based on the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) metadata standard, all LCC projects must select at least one ISO Topic Category. ISO topics were generally meant for spatial data so they might be a bit of a stretch, but do your best to find the best fit. mdEditor provides definitions of each ISO topic category if you hover over the ? icon.
ISO Topic List:
- biota
- boundaries
- climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
- economy
- elevation
- environment
- geoscientificInformation
- health
- imageryBaseMapsEarthCover
- intelligenceMilitary
- inlandWaters
- location
- oceans
- planningCadastre
- society
- structure
- transportation
- utilitiesCommunication
Tip: Biota and environment are probably the best fit for most SA projects.
GCMD Keywords (Best Practice)
GCMD stands for Global Change Master Directory and these keywords are maintained by NASA. Look for useful keywords in the GCMD Science Keywords. There are GCMD Platforms and Instruments Keywords but they are unlikely to apply to SA products.
Custom Thesaurus
If any of your desired keywords do not appear in the existing thesauruses, you can add them via the custom thesaurus. Use a custom thesaurus only for keywords that are not available in an existing thesaurus.
You cannot add keywords to an existing thesaurus; you can only add keywords in a custom thesaurus.
You cannot save a custom thesaurus in mdEditor.
Keywords and ScienceBase
Keywords vs. Tags
mdEditor uses the term "keywords" while ScienceBase uses the term "tags."
Keywords edited in mdEditor will not overwrite keywords stored in ScienceBase (i.e. sbJSON) because ScienceBase only adds to the list of tags. If you do not want obsolete keywords/tags to show up on ScienceBase, manually delete these in ScienceBase. mdJSON and the SA Science Catalog, however, will reflect any changes made in mdEditor.
Imported Keywords
If you imported your product metadata from ScienceBase, then the ScienceBase tags are each created as a keyword in a custom thesaurus.
Controlled vocab list in ScienceBase cannot connect to mdEditor. The selected keywords for any specific record will import into mdEditor, but the saved list will not be.
