What Metadata Is

CNM Cyber

What Metadata Is (hereinafter, the Lectio) is the lesson part of the CNM Tube Essentials lesson that introduces its participants to CNM Tube. This lesson belongs to the CNM Cyber for Competence session of the CNM Cyber Welcome Course.

Content

The predecessor lectio is Functions of Tube.

Key terms

Metadata. Data about other data. Since data is usually presented by a document, metadata can be defined as a document that presents data about another document. For instance, when one uploads a multimedia file up to a file-sharing system, this system issues a system document that presents data from what user account the file is uploaded, its timestamp (when it is uploaded), what is its size, what is its title, category, and other tags that the uploading user and/or the system assigned to this file, etc.

• Timestamp. A character string or a sequence of encoded data that identifies when a certain event occurred. In information technology, a timestamp is routinely an essential part of metadata.
• Metadata tag. A keyword, term, or phrase that a data owner, system administrator, or another authorized user assigns to the data. In information technology, the data is presented by a computer file or another document, so the tag enables keyword-based classification and used to categorize the content of that file or another document.

Script

In Greek language, the prefix, "μετά-" (or, in Latin letters, "meta-"), indicates "after" or "beyond" and is used to point out something more comprehensive or transcending than the prefixed word.

Metadata is literally something more comprehensive than just data. For instance, if somebody said something and what was said is considered as data, who said it, when it was said, how it was said, how it was introduced, and so on, would be parts of its metadata.

There are several sources of metadata at CNM Tube. The one who uploads the video file to this service creates its title. CertUsers can add some metadata tags, which can be used to search for files and sequence the videos that are played by default.

A timestamp is a notable example of the metadata that CNM Tube generates on its own. This timestamp is issued every time when certain events occurs. The timestamps mark when a new file is uploaded, when a new question is added in its comments section, and so on.

Obviously, timestamps are used not only at CNM Tube. They can be found in every other CNM Cyber service.

Tube at CNM Cyber is the successor lectio.