1. An introduction to
MEDIN Data Guidelines

2. What MEDIN data guidelines are not…
Protocols for collection methods
Prescriptive of how you have to collect and store your data
Metadata schema
MEDIN guidelines are Data Archive Standards:
They provide a list of information that should be collected with your data to ensure they can be re-used in the future.

3. Data guidelines Instill good practice amongst users
Allow contracting organizations to specify a format that data should be returned in that can be readily used and includes all relevant attributes
Provide a consistent format for contractors to work to (rather than a different format for each contract)
Allow easy ingestion of data to Data Archiving Centres
Improve interoperability between organizations by providing a format which can be used  to import and export data

4. Relationship to Discovery Metadata
MEDIN discovery metadata – allows the non-informed user to discover data.
MEDIN data guidelines - all the information that will make your data re-useable
Some of the information which is collected at the Survey Level in a data guideline is also required to create a discovery metadata record. It is intended that the information collected at the ‘Survey Information’ level is useful for creating a MEDIN discovery metadata record.
Some overlap .... we don’t want to ask for data twice, but we have included all the critical information you need to understand the data.

5. One size does not fit all
Our data model has to encompass everything from a sighting by a member of the public to a complex cruise survey or a historical time series!
Guidelines are themed by method and split into levels
Where possible levels work across methods
These standard kits can be bolted together in different ways if needed for complex surveys (e.g. where collecting data using different methods in a single survey)

6. Data Guideline Structure
3 requirements:
General Metadata
Project
Survey
Detailed Metadata
Methods
Data
Station
Sample Event
Sample Data
Common to
all guidelines
Specific to
each guideline
Each table refers to a specific component and some tables are common to all data guidelines. The tables are:
Project - a collection of surveys that have been completed for a common purpose
Survey - a uniquely identifiable programme of data collection such as a research cruise, moored instrument deployment or survey
Fixed Station – a target location used as the basis for replicate sample events and for repeat monitoring surveys
Sample Event – a sample specific event of data collection
Sampling Methodology (Data Production Tools) – Details of any method or instruments used to collect the data
Sample Data – the data

8. Data guidelines

9. Data guidelines Zip file contains: 1. readme file
2. pdf document of the Data Guideline
3. excel template of the Data Guideline
Download latest version from website
Mandatory/Conditional/Optional
Same information

10. Data Guidelines Summary Check list Detailed guidance Title
Title
MEDIN data guideline for sediment sampling by grab or core for benthos
MEDIN Discipline
Marine Biodiversity
Author(s)
M. Charlesworth, B. Seeley, S. Wilkinson
Document Owner
C. Postlethwaite
Reviewed by
MEDIN Data Standards Group
Date reviewed
20 July 2012
Version
4.1
Date approved and published on MEDIN website
Date last checked for accuracy
26 September 2013

11. Data Guidelines Introduction Summary Check list Detailed guidance
1.1 What are MEDIN compliant data?
There are 3 requirements to ensure that your benthic data using a grab or core are MEDIN compliant:
You supply General Metadata about your data – See Appendix A
You supply Detailed Metadata about your data – This may be included in a survey/cruise report or as additional metadata – See Appendix B
Your data are in a format that MEDIN accepts – See Appendix C

12. Data Guidelines Survey Information: Summary Check list
Detailed guidance
Data Guidelines
Additional items:
Please provide as much of the following information as possible to help others assess your data:
Survey Information:
originalCRS
transformation
depthCRS
verticalAccuracy
platformType
platformName
cruiseReportReference
Confidentiality
Survey Information:
This information is mandatory and must be supplied with your data to ensure it can be reused:
surveyName
surveyType
surveyAbstract
surveyCode
originator
owner
surveyStartDate
surveyEndDate
timeZone
spatialCRS
positionFix
horizontalAccuracy

13. Data Guidelines Summary Check list Detailed guidance
Method Information:
This information must be supplied with your data to ensure it can be reused:
Field Title
MCO
Description
Recommended Controlled Vocabulary or Format
Examples
methodID M
Method Identifier. A unique code for the methods to allow links to be built between this and sample event data.
Free text;
TIMES4376
samplingDevice
The type of sampling device used.
Controlled Vocabulary; SeadataNet Platform Classes, Table L051 at ;
Day Grab code = DA

14. Exceptions
If transferring historic data then some mandatory fields may be omitted
The guideline can be extended to suit specific requirements

15. Data Guideline template

16. Practical
Aim – to familiarise yourselves with the structure and content of a Data Guideline.
Find the Data Guidelines page on the MEDIN website. Which data guidelines look relevant to your work? Is there an obvious gap for your work?
Open the Data Guideline for species and benthos data collected by dredge or trawl surveys from your desktop (the pdf)
Start to fill in the data guideline as if you were on survey