What is metadata?

• Metadata is data about data; it is information which describes other data.
• Metadata is the formalised structured description of content, quality, condition or other characteristics of data
• Assists users in finding relevant information and discovering resources through bringing similar information together
• Identifies where information is located
• Can be stored and managed in a database, often called a metadata registry or repository
• Can be stored internally, in the same file as the data (also known as embedded metadata)
• Can be stored externally, in a separate file from the described data
• Structured in a formalised way through consensus and the application of International standards