SOFIA Metadata

The objectives of the metadata project are to document the data sets produced as a result of USGS research in South Florida and to make the metadata and data sets available to potential customers, managers, and policy makers. The metadata contains information about the contents of the data sets, why the data was collected or created, who collected or created the data, the accuracy of the data, the contacts for questions about the data, and how to obtain the data. The metadata are available through the SOFIA website at http://sofia.usgs.gov.

The South Florida restoration effort requires multidisciplinary information relating to present and historical conditions for use in responsible decision-making. The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) in support of the restoration of the Everglades and South Florida ecosystem began a research program in 1995 designed to provide sound scientific information on which resource managers can base their decisions. Numerous data sets have been created as a result of that USGS research. Metadata provide information for discovering, assessing, and accessing the data sets. Searchable metadata provide a valuable tool for scientists, managers, and the public. The project is expanding the USGS project metadata inventory to include metadata on every data set. Existing metadata is reviewed for currentness and changes in contact information or project status. The metadata is posted for public access on the South Florida Information Access (SOFIA) web site. The metadata along with the SOFIA database and the Data Exchange are integral to information management for the South Florida place-based science program. The data and metadata are available to Federal, State, and local agencies through the web interface.