Background

7 There has never been an adequate government-wide mechanism for enabling easy public access to the information assets/resources and services of the public sector. The best analogy for this situation is that of a library where all the books have been removed from the shelves and randomly piled on the floor, and where there is no cataloguing system to enable them to be put back on the shelves in any order. The problem is compounded by the fact that nobody knows how many books are supposed to be on the shelves.

8 The Directory of Official Information was a first step toward solving this problem, but is limited in the help it provides people looking for government information and services because:

• it is arranged by agency rather than function;
• it provides only limited details of individual information resources;
• it is only updated every two years; and
• awareness of this Directory's existence, and access to it, is limited.

What is metadata?

9 Metadata is a key to doing away with this problem. Metadata is a mechanism used to describe data in a structured way. 'Discovery level' metadata is the information needed to locate a particular document, information collection, data set, or service. For example, a library catalogue contains information (metadata) that a person can use to find a particular information resource on a particular subject.

10 Once created in an electronic form, metadata can be utilised in a variety of ways for managing information and/or business processes; including the design and delivery of e-government.

11 Government agencies are realising the importance of using metadata to assist discovery of information. They are also beginning to understand its importance as an internal information management tool. Metadata is not yet, however, widely used. That which exists is not created to an agreed New Zealand government standard. This means inconsistency in how data or information is described, accessed, and used across government.

12 A metadata project has been a central part of the e-government programme since July 2000. During the development phase of the project, there have been two main areas of activity. These are:

• development of a standard for discovery level metadata - the NZGLS Standard; and
• design of a metadata system ('the NZGLS System'), comprising a metadata repository, and metadata authoring tools.

13 The draft NZGLS Standard (attached as Annex 1) is now ready for Cabinet to endorse as an official standard for use in the public sector. The development process has involved many agencies from all levels of government. The result is a robust standard that meets the needs of New Zealanders. It is also aligned with the global metadata environment, being based on the equivalent Australian government standard (the AGLS). The AGLS is in turn consistent with Dublin Core, the most widely recognised international discovery level metadata standard.