19 Metadata

Contents

• 19.1 Introduction
• 19.2 The SVG Metadata Schema
• 19.3 An Example

19.1 Introduction

Metadata is information about a document.

RDF is the appropriate language for metadata. The specifications for RDF can be found at:

• Resource Description Framework Model and Syntax Specification
• Resource Description Framework (RDF) Schema Specification

Metadata within an SVG document should be expressed in the appropriate RDF namespaces and should be placed within the <metadata> child element to the document's <svg> root element. (See Example below.)

Here are some suggestions for content creators regarding metadata:

• Content creators should refer to W3C Metadata Recommendations and activities when deciding which metadata schema to use in their documents.
• Content creators should refer to the Dublin Core, which is a set of generally applicable core metadata properties (e.g., Title, Creator/Author, Subject, Description, etc.).
• Additionally, SVG Metadata Schema (below) contains a set of additional metadata properties that are common across most uses of vector graphics.

Individual industries or individual content creators are free to define their own metadata schema, but everyone is encouraged to follow existing metadata standards and use standard metadata schema wherever possible to promote interchange and interoperability. If a particular standard metadata schema does not meet your needs, then it is usually better to define an additional metadata schema in RDF which is used in combination with the given standard metadata schema than to totally avoid the standard schema.

19.2 The SVG Metadata Schema

19.3 An Example

Here is an example of how metadata can be included in an SVG document. The example uses the Dublin Core version 1.0 schema and the SVG metadata schema:

<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<svg width="4in" height="3in"
    xmlns = 'http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/SVG-19990812.dtd'>
    <desc>Floor layout for MyCompany office space</desc>
    <metadata>
      <rdf:RDF
               xmlns:rdf = "http://www.w3.org/...-rdf-syntax-ns"
               xmlns:rdfs = "http://www.w3.org/TR/...-schema"
               xmlns:dc = "http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.0/"
               xmlns:svgmetadata = "http://www.w3.org/..." >
        <rdf:Description about=""
                 dc:title="MyCompany Floor Layout"
                 dc:description="Floor layout for MyCompany office space"
                 dc:publisher="MyCompany Incorporated"
                 dc:date="1999-03-03"
                 dc:format="image/svg"
                 dc:language="en" >
          <dc:creator>
            <rdf:Bag>
                <rdf:li>Billy Potts</rdf:li>
                <rdf:li>Mary Graham</rdf:li>
            </rdf:Bag>
          </dc:creator>
          <svgmetadata:General MeetsAccessibilityGuidelines="true"/>
        </rdf:Description>
      </rdf:RDF>
    </metadata>
</svg>

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