AS 5044.1:2010 – AGLS Metadata Standard Part 1: Reference description.
5 OVERVIEW
5.1 General
This Part One is a vocabulary of properties for use in resource description. [he full set of vocabularies, described in Sections 6 to Ii, also includes sets of resource classes, Vocabulary Encoding Schemes and Syntax Encoding Schemes. The terms in AGIdS vocabularies may be used in combination with terms from other, compatible vocabularies in the context of application profiles and on the basis of the DCMI Abstract Model. A summary of AGLS terms is given in Table 2.
Since January 2008, DCMI includes formal domains and ranges in the definitions of its properties. So as not to affect AGLS implementations created in compliance with earlier versions of this Standard, domains and ranges have not been specified for the fifteen properties of the dc: narnespace (http://purl.org/dc/elements/1 .1!) or the four properties in the agis: narnespace (http://www.agls.gov.au/agls/1.21).
New properties with names identical to those of the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set Version 1 . I have been created in the dcterms: namespace (http://purl.org/dc/terms/) and new properties with names identical to those of the AGLS Metadata Element Set
Version 1 .2 have been created in the aglsterms: namespace
(http://www.agls.gov.au/agls/terms/). These new properties have been defined as having sub-property relations to the corresponding properties of the original element sets and assigned domains and ranges as specified in Section 6.
Implementers may use the original 19 properties either in their legacy dc: or agls: variant, or in the current dcterms: or agisterms: variant depending on application requirements. Over time, it is strongly recommended that implementers use the semantically more precise dcterms: and agisterms: properties, as they more fully follow emerging notions of best practice for machine-processible nietadata.
5.2 Obligation
5.2.1 Obligation categories
AGLS metadata properties fall into four obligation categories:
(a) Mandatory—these properties must be present in all metadata records.
(b) Conditional—these properties must be present under certain circumstances.
(c) Recommended—there may be valid reasons in particular circumstances not to include these properties, but the full implications must be understood and carefully weighed. a iid
(d) Optional—these properties are truly optional.
Implementations that use recommended or optional properties must be fully interoperable with those that do not.
(b) title; and
(c) date (or a related property).
In the case of date, this Standard specifies that the date property or at least one of the related available, created, dateCopyrighted, dateIicensed. issued, modified or valid properties must appear in a metadata description to he a valid instance of date.
5.2.3 Co ,,dii io nut proper! les
Three AGLS properties are conditional and must be present under certain circumstances.
The conditional properties are—
(a) availability (mandatory for offline resources):
(b) identifier (mandatory for online resources): and
(c) publisher (mandatory for information resources)
In the case of identifier and availability, at least one of those two properties must appear in a metadata description depending on the nature of the resource. If the resource is only available online, the identifier property must be used. If the resource is only available offline, the availability property must be used. If the resource is available both online and offline, both properties may be used.
The publisher property must be used for descriptions of information resources (it is optional for descriptions of services).
5.2.4 Recotnnzended properties
Five AGLS properties are recommended. There may be valid reasons in particular circumstances not to include these properties, but the full implications must be understood and carefully weighed. The recommended properties are—
(a) description:
(b) function (if subject is not used):
(c) language (where the language of the resource is not English):
(d) subject (if function is not used): and
(e) type.
In the case of subject and function, this Standard recommends that at least one of those two properties should appear in a metadata description.
The language property should be used where the described resource is in a language other than English.
The use of recommended properties should be consistent when describing collections of similar or related resources.
5.2.5 Optional properties
All other properties are optional.
5.3 Agent and availability metadata terms.