These terms, phrases, and definitions are provided to facilitate the understanding of the data standards presented at this site.
Classification System
|
A collection of procedures, characteristics, and definitions used to classify and/or
identify, data objects or entities such as mammals, birds, wetlands,
plants, insects, etc. |
Data Element
|
The smallest and simplest unit of data that imparts meaningful
information. A data element can be a field in a relational
database, a column in a flat file, an attribute used to describe spatial data, or a row or
column in a spreadsheet. Examples of data elements are name, date, length, time, or cost. |
Data Layer
|
A spatial data set used in a Geographic Information System (GIS). |
Data Set
|
A group of related records that are organized and treated as a unit. Examples of data sets are a
database containing a mailing list or a flat file containing taxonomic names. |
Data Value
|
A named component of a data element. |
Procedure
|
A series of defined steps to accomplish a specific task, such as
creating standardized metadata for describing digital data sets or records
of information resources. |
Adopted
|
A standard is
"Adopted" when it has been approved by the Assistant
Director-Information Resources and Technology Management and Chief
Information Officer (CIO). |
Approval Date
|
The date on which the CIO approved a data standard. |
Data Steward
|
The person responsible for a data standard. In this role, a Data Steward is charged by
his/her Management to develop and maintain the data standard and to counsel Service
personnel on the proper use of the data. He/she must: have a thorough knowledge of the
subject matter of the standard, provide accurate and current electronic copies of data
relevant to the standard, and weigh the pros and cons of comments received during review
of the standard. He/she is authorized to defend or modify the standard as necessary in
order to ensure its proper use. |
Description
|
A brief description of the standard with sufficient detail to enable the reader to use
the standard correctly. |
Draft
|
A standard is a "Draft" until the designated Data Steward and
National Data Administrator review, modify, and approve the proposed standard for internal review
and comment. |
| Historical Data |
Electronic copies of the original source data, as well as all revisions to the source
data that occurred prior to the date noted in the Source section of the adopted standard.
The initial data standard will also be provided if a major revision has
undergone Service-wide review and is approved by
the CIO. |
In Review
|
A standard is "In Review"
when the Director has distributed the standard to the Service Directorate for review.
"In Review" also includes the period of time when the Data Steward is
considering the comments received from the Service Directorate. |
| Initial Approval Date |
The date on which the CIO approved the initial data standard. |
Name
|
An easily understood name for the standard. It should not include jargon specific to a
particular discipline such as biology, finance, engineering, etc. However, the name may
include terms that are familiar to Service employees such as "Region" or
"Ecosystem". |
| Pending Revision |
A
standard is "Pending Revision" when the Director has distributed a revision of
the adopted standard to the Service Directorate for review. |
Phase
|
A description of where the standard is in the development process. The options are:
Draft, Working Draft, In Review, Adopted, and Pending Revision. |
| Point of Contact |
The person who is the first point of contact (POC) for questions and comments on a data
standard when a Data Steward is not designated. A POC may also be
identified to serve as the liaison between the designated Data Steward and
Service users on all issues pertaining to the data standard. |
| Recommended Field Name |
The recommended field name to be used in a database to facilitate data transfer
between different systems and databases. |
Reference
|
A published reference that establishes or describes the standard. |
| Revision Approval Date |
The date on which the CIO approved a revision to the adopted data standard. |
Source
|
The source for electronic copies of the data values or data sets described by the
standard. |
Syntax
|
Instructions describing how a data value should be coded and how long a data value may
be. For example, NNN-NN-NNNN could be the syntax for coding a Social Security Number where
each N represents a digit from 0 through 9. |
Tools
|
Items designed to facilitate the use of a standard or data. Tools can be text files
containing explanatory information, database lookup tables, programs, macros, etc. |
Type
|
A data element may contain data values of the following types: character, date,
integer, time, real, etc. Definitions for the types currently in use are given
below; other definitions will be added as needed.
- Alpha: all items in this field type are letters of the alphabet; no other ASCII
characters are included.
- Character: items in this field type can include any of the ASCII characters, such as
letters of the alphabet, numbers, punctuation markings, etc.
- Integer: a subset of numeric (see below), where decimal places are not used: a whole
number.
- Numeric: all items in this field type are numeric digits or items relating to numeric
digits, such as a plus sign (+), minus sign (-), or decimal place(.) marker.
- Real: a subset of numeric that requires decimal places. The number of places
should be defined.
|
Use Instructions
|
Instructions on how and when the data standard should be used. These instructions may
also describe strengths and weaknesses of the standard. |
Validation Date
|
The date the data standard was last reviewed by the Data Steward and/or
POC to ensure continued utility and accuracy of the standard. |
Working Draft
|
A standard is a "Working
Draft" when it has been reviewed by the designated Data Steward and
National Data Administrator, but has not yet been
approved and distributed by the Director for a Service-wide review. |
