more about AgMES

The overall objective of the AgMES project is to define an interoperability layer using emerging standards that aim to facilitate the efficient dissemination of agricultural content. Specific tasks are to:

define a low barrier layer to aid primary resource discovery through promotion of "open" exchange of information initiatives i.e. the Open Archives Initiative (OAI);

define a richer layer to aid secondary resource discovery; especially non-digitized resources, and promote homogeneity of meta element description for agricultural resources;

transfer the metadata specification in an appropriate machine-readable technical framework (viz. a common XML Document Type Description, XML schema extended DC metadata set, and RDF);

use the format as a common denominator to homogenize sets of results of the Multi-Host Server (search interface that enables parallel searching on distributed heterogeneous databases);

use the format for management of agricultural resources by data owners.

Strategy and Methodology Adopted

Development of a conceptual framework of different types of agricultural information resources in order to homogenize the meta elements description.
Evaluation of currently available standards and common resource description practices; preparation of draft specification for a Dublin Core based standard.
Identification of 13 core elements for resource description at generic level and qualification of elements (using the DC guidelines), to enable description of resources at different levels of granularity. (A full element description was made, using a set of ten attributes from the ISO/IEC 11179 standard for the description of data elements.)
Discussion of the proposal within the agricultural community, especially on the AgStandards Discussion group forum.

Preliminary Results

A lower barrier layer: Unqualified Dublin core based Metadata set, which is a set of 13 core elements (Creator, Title, Rights, Relation, Subject, Description, Coverage, Date, Identifier, Language, Type and Format)

A richer interoperability layer: Qualified Dublin Core based Metadata set

Benefits of the Agricultural Metadata Element Set

Low barrier interoperability layer that enables harvesting of metadata through open exchange of information initiatives;
Format to describe and maintain agricultural resources both at FAO and within the Agricultural Community (Agricultural Subject Gateways, CGNET, National Agricultural Research Centers);
Format for uniform presentation of meta information on the WAICENT Internet portal
Format for exchange and description of information resources within the AGRIS (Agricultural Information System);
Format for the Agris Multi-Host Server.

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Future developments and documentation

Monitoring the impact of the proposed metadata application profile for agricultural resources, making any changes or enhancements based on the results of the impact study;
Undertaking outreach-type work to promote and facilitate the rational and widespread use of Metadata;
Development of good documentation to support the application profile that has been created, e.g. user guidelines;
Effecting further developments to incorporate more specific aspects of given disciplines through the customization of individual application profiles as necessary;
Registering our metadata frameworks and specific application profiles with the Metadata Registry at OCLC and other such registries.;
Initiating pilot projects between FAO and Agricultural Subject Gateways to provide a single access point for agricultural resources;

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