7 - Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research

operations. Examples of clinical classifications and codes used include: the International
Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10), Current
Procedural Terminology (CPT) and the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical
Terms (SNOMED CT).
In health care transactions, structural and administrative metadata (in the form of
messaging standards) define the formats in which coded data (in textual and non-textual
formats (such as imaging data) is created, transmitted and stored for use and archiving.
Such metadata specifies the ways that data and information are exchanged between
electronic systems) for consistent processing (interoperability). Examples are the Health
Level Seven Reference Information Model (HL7 RIM) and Digital Imaging and
Communications in Medicine (DICOM).
In medical publishing and librarianship, descriptive, structural and administrative metadata
are used extensively to archive and index publications (journal articles, books, electronic
media, etc.) for identification and retrieval. Examples of descriptive metadata in this
domain include: the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and the National Library of
Medicine (NLM) Classification System. Examples of structural metadata include:
eXtensible Markup Language (XML) for electronic business (eb XML). Examples of
administrative metadata include descriptions of the different formats used for storage of
multimedia.
11. Metadata Tools
Numerous software tools exist for the encoding of metadata, ranging from freeware
packages to highly complex and expensive integrated systems. Those designed specifically
for XML encoding range from free packages such as emacs to proprietary packages such
as XMetal.
12. Metadata Standards in General
There are many different standards governing metadata:
• standards specific to topics or disciplines (such as biology or art)
• standards specific to kinds of materials (such as moving pictures or encoded texts)
• standards to support particular functions (such as discovery or rights management
or presentation)
In any of these areas, metadata standards may govern
• what pieces of information are created (semantics)
• how the information is formed (content standards)
• how the information is encoded for computer processing (syntax)
Metadata design is a critical part of the planning for any digital project. Without the right
kind of metadata, it will not be possible to find or use digital materials effectively. The
LDI Metadata Advisor can help you determine what kinds of metadata you need to get the
results you want.
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