dmdScheme: A package containing the framework for Domain specific MetaData Schemes

Metadata is essential for the managing and archiving of data. Consequentially, metadata schemes, which standardise the property names used in specifying the metadata, play an essential role in this. Nevertheless (or because of this), metadata schemes are usually big, complex, difficult to read and understand, and, in consequence, are not used as often as they should be.

Details

This package provides a framework called dmdScheme, which

• makes it easier to develop a domain specific metadata scheme: by using a spreadsheet as the base for defining the new scheme

• provides basic functionality for the new metadata scheme: including entering, validating, exporting and saving of the new metadata

• makies it easier to enter new metadata: by uising a spreadsheet to enter the new metadata which can than be imported and exported as xml

This package provides for the creator of a new Domain Specific MetaData Scheme:

1. a simple way of discussing and developing a new scheme as it is represented in a spreadsheet

2. a function to create a new R package for a new domain specific metadata scheme which is based on a spreadsheet containing the definition and inherits all the functionality of this package (validation, printing, export, import, ...)

3. easy update of the new scheme based by re-importing the new version of the scheme from the spreadsheet by simply calling one function

4. easy extension of the functionality as the whole architecture is based on S3 methods and the new scheme inherits from the dmdScheme objects.

This package provides for the user of a Domain Specific MetaData Scheme:

1. the authorative definition of an example dmdScheme

2. object definitions for this scheme for R

3. Excel spreadsheet for entering the metadata for an experiment

4. functions to validate this metadata

5. functions to export the metadata to xml files, one per data file