e-Government Metadata Standard (e-GMS)
The e-Government Metadata Standard (e-GMS) covers the elements, refinements and encoding schemes needed for the effective retrieval and management of information. Specifically, it is intended to be used by public sector workers when creating metadata for their information resources or designing search tools for information systems.
Metadata is usually explained as data about data - a set of descriptive data that describes a piece of data or information.
A good example of using metadata is a library catalogue. A catalogue contains metadata relating to books, such as titles, authors, publishers etc., that allow library visitors to find the specific book they want. Metadata allows a resource to be identified by indicating what the resource is about and how it can be accessed through the use of a series of structured descriptions.
Within the Observatory, the e-GMS and the associated Integrated Public Sector Vocabulary (IPSV) are our primary tools for managing information.The Regional Resource Catalogue, for example, is built based around the e-GMS standard.
Integrated Public Sector Vocabulary (IPSV) subject categories
Complementing e-GMS, IPSV is a structured list of subjects by which data and information can be categorised to make it easier for users to find, browse or navigate information.
The IPSV is organised in a tree structure, or hierarchy, with broad categories at the top level of the tree and more specific categories in its branches.
The advantage of being able to classify and pool resources from different organisations using the same scheme has led the e-Government Unit (formerly the Office of the e-Envoy) to make the IPSV compulsory for all public sector organisations. The Observatory has adopted the IPSV Abridged Version as the standard classification scheme for the categorisation of all its information including records in the regional resource catalogue, directory of specialists and site pages.
e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF)
Interoperability refers to the ability of individual computers and whole systems to interact seamlessly and coherently. This concept is considered crucial to the development of a modern joined-up public sector in the UK. The e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) sets out the Government's technical policies and specifications on how interoperability should be achieved across the public sector.
e-GIF is mandatory for UK public sector organisations and at the most basic level compliance means:
- Providing systems and applications with a browser interface for access
- Using XML as the primary means for data integration
- Adopting web standards
- Using metadata for content management
Areas covered by the e-GIF include inter-connectivity, data integration, content management metadata and access to e-services.
The Observatory's website and the regional resource catalogue have been built with e-GIF compliance at its core.