1. Introduction to Controlled Vocabularies (Term / Code Lists)

2. Controlled Vocabularies
What: list of standardised terms to choose from
Aim: easier to transfer and interpret data, also allows automated interoperability
MEDIN usage: Data Guidelines and Discovery Metadata Standard
Vocabularies are available
directly by manual lookup – e.g. SeaDataNet
‘served’ machine to machine - e.g. the NERC Vocabulary Server ReSTful interface

3. Example – Platform types
Populates the platformType field in Detailed Metadata in Data Guidelines

4. Availability through website

5. SeaDataNet client
Instruments, platforms, sea areas, geometries etc

6. MEDIN Keywords Keywords describe certain aspects of your dataset
MEDIN recommends “BODC Parameter Discovery Vocabulary” – P02

7. SeaDataNet hierarchies
Parameter relationships and discovery
How best to choose your P02 term?

8. NERC Vocab Service: Located at: http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/
Uses Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) concepts to build URLs:
Format is:
Example:
Fully computer readable. Output in XML

9. Other Useful Vocabularies

10. How to add? E-mail Sean Gaffney sgaf@bodc.ac.uk
- check with appropriate governance group.

11. Practical
Aim – to familiarise yourself with different controlled vocabularies
Navigate to the MEDIN webpage for controlled vocabularies
2) Find:
Two different area codes for the Irish Sea (use SeaDataNet vocabularies)
The AphiaID for UK species ‘Mytilus edulis’ (use MSBIAS)
Code for the horizontal coordinate reference system WGS 84 [2D projection, world] (use EPSG)
The entrykey, vocabulary name and associated date for a Keyword for “Man-made Structure”
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12. Answers a)1_4 (using SeaVoX gazeteer)
[or 19 using SeaDataNet sea areas] *
b)140480
c) EPSG: 4326
d) MMST
SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary
date last modified
* - SeaVoX, not SeaDataNet sea areas, is the agreed MEDIN vocabulary for water bodies