Please note: this site is no longer updated.
For the current Metadata and Digital Repository SIG website, please visit
http://wiki.cetis.ac.uk/Metadata.
educational metadata and digital repository interoperability
standards and specifications
The following is a (doubtless incomplete) list of educational
technology specifications and standards directly relevant to the SIG's
work in metadata and digital repositories. No attempt has been made to
include all generic metadata or library specifications and standards
that may also be relevant to the SIG.
contents
metadata schemas, application
profiles and bindings
IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM)
Information about the LOM can be found at http://ltsc.ieee.org/wg12/index.html.
- The approved version of IEEE 1484.12.1-2002
Standard for Learning Object Metadata is not yet available,
however the final draft (which only differs from the approved version
in details of layout and type setting) can be found at http://ltsc.ieee.org/wg12/materials.html.
- The 6 April 2004 version of the LOM XML binding, that is IEEE
P1484.12.3/D2 Draft Standard for Extensible Markup Language Binding for
Learning Object Metadata, can be found at http://ltsc.ieee.org/wg12/files/IEEE_1484_12_03_d2.pdf.
IMS
Learning Resource Meta-data (IMS LRM)
For Version 1.3 of the IMS Learning Resource Meta-data
specification (which is currently a public draft):
- the Information Model is provided by IEEE 1484.12.1
Standard for Learning Object Metadata (LOM),
- it is the intention that XML binding be provided by IEEE
1484.12.3
Standard for Extensible Markup Language (XML) Schema Definition
Language Binding for Learning Object Metadata when it is finalized.
To these, IMS have added a Best Practice Guide for IEEE
1484.12.1-2002
Standard for Learning Object Metadata and an XSL transform that may be
used to convert metadata instances from IMS LRM v1.2.1 XML bindings to
the IEEE LOM XML binding.
The URL for IMS LRM v1.3 http://www.imsglobal.org/metadata/,
from where older versions of the IMS LRM specification (based on
previous drafts of the IEEE LOM) are also available.
UK LOM Core
The UK LOM Core is a profile of the LOM that makes
recommendations for how the LOM should be used in UK educational
contexts. The UK LOM Core home page URL is http://www.cetis.ac.uk/profiles/uklomcore,
which includes links to the draft UK LOM Core and several application
profiles based on it.
SCORM
The Sharable Content Object Reference Model from ADL includes
profiles of the LOM for instructional resources of different levels of
aggregation. Available from the downloads
section of http://www.adlnet.org/.
CanCore
The Canadian Core Learning Object Metadata Application Profile
includes
the most thorough element-by-element usage guidelines available, as
well as highlighting those elements which are considered to be
particularly useful for Canadian metadata. The guidelines are available
from http://www.cancore.ca/documents.html.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative home page is http://www.dublincore.org/.
metadata best practice
IMS Learning
Resource Meta-data (IMS LRM)
The IMS Meta-data Best Practice Guide for IEEE 1484.12.1-2002
Standard for Learning Object Metadata, Version 1.3 Public Draft is
available from http://www.imsglobal.org/metadata/.
Earlier versions of the IMS LRM Best Practice and Implementation Guide,
(based on an earlier drafts of the LOM), remain useful for those parts
of the LOM that did not change for the final standard, and are also
available from http://www.imsglobal.org/metadata/.
BS8419
"BS8419 - A code of practice for interoperability between
metadata systems used for learning, education and training" is a draft
two-part British Standard covering the creation of application profiles
and methodologies for achieving interoperability between application
profiles. The draft is available for comment (at nominal cost) from
david.keech@bsi-global.com.
standards and
specifications supporting metadata
IMS Vocabulary Definition Exchange (IMS
VDEX)
IMS VDEX defines a grammar for the exchange of various
vocabularies, i.e. simple lists of terms, hierarchical lists, thesauri,
etc. along with information that helps the human interpretation of the
meanings of these terms. Available from http://www.imsglobal.org/vdex/.
Zthes
Zthes is "a profile for thesaurus navigation in Z39.50 and
SRW"; the XML binding allows it to be used to exchange vocabularies in
much the way as VDEX, though without the human-readable term
descriptions. More information is available at http://zthes.z3950.org/.
CEN Workshop
Agreement 14871 : Controlled vocabularies for
Learning Object Metadata : typology,
impact analysis, guidelines and a web based Vocabularies Registry
Published in October 2003, covering simple value lists,
classifications and taxonomies, thesauri, glossaries, dictionaries,
ontologies and natural language, and their use in describing learning
objects, in particular in LOM records. Also covers interoperability
between vocabularies. Available from
ftp://cenftp1.cenorm.be/PUBLIC/CWAs/e-Europe/WS-LT/cwa14871-00-2003-Oct.pdf.
repository
interoperability
Content Object Repository Discovery and Registration/Resolution Architecture (CORDRA)
CORDRA is an open, standards based model, coordinated by ADL, for software systems that support resource discovery, sharing and reuse. More information can be found at http://cordra.lsal.cmu.edu/.
IMS Digital Repository Interoperability
(IMS DRI)
IMS DRI v1.0 provides recommendations for the interoperation
of the most common repository functions and can be found at http://www.imsglobal.org/digitalrepositories/.
A joint white paper from IMS Global Learning Consortium and
the
Coalition for Networked Information entitled "Interoperability between
Information and Learning Environments
– Bridging the Gaps" is also available from http://www.imsglobal.org/DLims_white_paper_publicdraft_1.pdf
Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI)
The OKI defines "open interface service definitions (OSIDs)"
many of which are relevant to repository interoperability. See http://web.mit.edu/oki/specs/
for details.
Open Archives Initiative Protocol for
Metadata Harvesting
(OAI-PMH)
The Open Archives home page is http://www.openarchives.org/;
version 2.0 of the harvesting protocol is available at http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/openarchivesprotocol.html
Simple Query
Interface (SQI)
SQI is a nascent specification for passing queries between
learning object repositories that is being developed under the CEN/ISSS
Learning Technology Workshop. The development pages are at [long
URL].
Z39.50 and ZING
The Z39.50 Maintenance Agency home page is at http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/
and provides links to the ZING (Z39.50 International: Next Generation)
initiative, including the SRW/U (Search and Retrieve Web/URL) and CQL
(Common Query Language) specifications.
JISC Information
Environment Architecture Standards Framework
A list of the key standards and protocols used by the JISC
Information Environment, key to interoperability of information systems
in UK Further and Higher Education. Available at http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/distributed-systems/jisc-ie/arch/standards/
linking
repositories with learning environments
IMS Resource List Interoperability (RLI)
A resource list is a collection of resources that may be
provided for educational purposes, for example a course reading list.
The IMS RLI specification provides: a data model for describing the
resources and the collection, with an XML binding; a set of behaviours
for resource list management, with
a web service binding expressed in WSDL; and a best practice and
implementation
guide. Available from
http://www.imsglobal.org/rli/index.cfm.
see also...
Learning Technology Standards Observatory (LTSO) Metadata Overview
Information on metadata standards, the activities of the organisations producing them and their relationships to other standards, from the EU-funded LTSO project. Includes information on LOM, ARIADNE, IMS, ADL, Dublin Core, GEM and EdNA metadata. Available from
http://www.cen-ltso.net/Users/main.aspx?put=194.
|
