Data and information about the coastal environment are more diverse and distributed among a larger number of sources than traditional oceanographic data. A single physical repository for all coastal data is impractical. NOAA created the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC) to provide access to this diverse and distributed data. Part of NCDDC's mission is to provide access to the long-term coastal data record. In order to access data, one must know that the data exists and be able to 'discover' the data. Data discovery at NCDDC takes place through the use of metadata. NCDDC utilizes cataloged metadata as a means to accomplish the requirements of discovery, access, use and archive of coastal data.

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A growing number of coastal data providers have realized the value of documenting their data using formal metadata processes which includes making the metadata available to the public via the World-Wide-Web. Federal laws and policies governing NCDDC mandate the use of Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata standards. However, NCDDC recognizes that in addition to the FGDC, other standards and methods may be necessary to adequately describe certain types of data. The application of markup languages such as Earth Science Markup Language (ESML), Marine XML, and Sensor ML; the development of data-specific vocabularies; and the use of ontological-based systems are being explored, developed and incorporated into the metadata activities at NCDDC.

Questions concerning metadata, the use of metadata at NCDDC, or the development and management of metadata records using NCDDC's Metadata Enterprise Resource Management Aid (MERMAid) should be directed to:

NOAA National Coastal Data Development Center
Building 1100, Suite 101
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529

Telephone Numbers

Electronic Mail

Email: NCDDC@NOAA.GOV