ISSUE-63

Metadata Architecture for the Web

State:

OPEN

Product:

Metadata Architecture

Raised by:

Larry Masinter

Opened on:

2009-04-02

Description:

Proposed Architecture for Metadata on the Web

Various W3C specifications (as well as specs from other organizations) contain the notion of representing "metadata". While the word "metadata" has many broad definitions, for the purposes of this discussion, it's proposed to consider the application of semantics -- meaning -- specifically to the description of network resources and data. If a URI identifies a resource, metadata describes a resource. While the scope of "metadata" is ambiguous, at its core, it is necessary for a metadata model to clearly address the common metadata of 
There are a number of W3C work products and questions which touch on metadata and would benefit from an architectural approach to metadata. This issue is to develop a framework for approaching metadata which allows development and growth in a coherent way of:

* Metadata model: what is the "data model" for typical metadata applications – the datatypes of the endpoints
* Metadata serialization: how can metadata be encoded in a representation system, be it RDF or something else
* Metadata vocabularies:  what are appropriate vocabularies for describing various media objects and network services? What is the process by which new vocabularies can or should be developed, described, extended or changed?
* Metadata linking: What are the various ways in which metadata can be associated with “data” or other resources? Link relationships, protocol elements, mechanisms for embedding metadata in various kinds of data.

These four architectural perspectives interact with each other, of course.  

An architectural approach to metadata for the web might review past and current W3C work on metadata look at existing practice around metadata on the web, web content, security issues of trust, the process for updating metadata, the issues around resolving conflicts, overlaps, updates to metadata, determining  origin and authority for metadata and so forth.

This issue covers the overall framework; ISSUE-62 focuses on a specific case.

Related Actions Items:

• ACTION-254 on Larry Masinter to Send email to www-tag announcing issue-63 - due 2009-06-23, closed
• ACTION-296 on Larry Masinter to update ISSUE-62 and ISSUE-63 to reference each other - due 2009-11-18, closed
• ACTION-282 on Jonathan Rees to Draft a finding on metadata architecture. - due 2009-12-01, open
• ACTION-337 on Larry Masinter to frame the F2F agenda and preparation on metadata formats/representations - due 2009-12-01, open

Related emails:

1. agenda for TAG meeting 8-10 Dec (from connolly@w3.org on 2009-11-25)
2. Re: agenda for TAG meeting 8-10 Dec in progress (from ashok.malhotra@oracle.com on 2009-11-24)
3. Re: agenda for TAG meeting 8-10 Dec in progress (from noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com on 2009-11-24)
4. Minutes of Nov 19 TAG Telcon (from ashok.malhotra@oracle.com on 2009-11-22)
5. Agenda for TAG teleconference of 12 November 2009 (from ht@inf.ed.ac.uk (Henry S. Thompson) on 2009-11-18)
6. Agenda for TAG teleconference of 12 November 2009 (from ht@inf.ed.ac.uk (Henry S. Thompson) on 2009-11-17)
7. suggestion for 19 Nov agenda (from connolly@w3.org on 2009-11-16)
8. f2f planning - Issue 63 (from ashok.malhotra@oracle.com on 2009-11-13)
9. TAG issue review (from masinter@adobe.com on 2009-10-16)
10. Metadata at the TAG F2F (from noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com on 2009-09-16)
11. global metadata goals post by Steven Rowat (from masinter@adobe.com on 2009-08-21)
12. Draft minutes of TAG conference of 6th August 2009 (from john.1.kemp@nokia.com on 2009-08-11)
13. Text-only version of TAG F2F minutes of 24 June 2009 (from noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com on 2009-08-10)
14. Agenda for TAG teleconference of 23 July 2009 (from noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com on 2009-07-21)
15. RE: Framing an Architecture for Metadata on the Web (from masinter@adobe.com on 2009-07-21)
16. Re: Framing an Architecture for Metadata on the Web (from ashok.malhotra@oracle.com on 2009-07-21)
17. Framing an Architecture for Metadata on the Web (from masinter@adobe.com on 2009-07-21)
18. Minutes of TAG telcon 2009-05-28 (from ht@inf.ed.ac.uk (Henry S. Thompson) on 2009-05-29)
19. Re: TAG F2F Priorities (from jar@creativecommons.org on 2009-05-28)
20. Re: TAG F2F Priorities (from ashok.malhotra@oracle.com on 2009-05-28)
21. TAG F2F Priorities (from noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com on 2009-05-27)
22. Agenda for TAG teleconference of 28 May 2009 (from noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com on 2009-05-27)
23. Draft minutes of TAG teleconference of 21 May 2009 (from noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com on 2009-05-26)
24. Agenda for 21 May 2009 TAG Teleconference and Start of F2F Agenda Planning (from noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com on 2009-05-19)

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