| To what information should we assign metadata? | |||
| We can distinguish four types of information: | |||
| Information
type |
Description |
Examples |
|
 |
Available but not usable information | A lot of the available Information is not usable. Never, by no one. | old emails, notes, old measurements, |
 |
Useful, available information with associations | Information is useful and can be found using the context of the information. This is the case especially when the author and the reader are the same person or when the author and the reader work closely together (good communication) Information is always stored with a lot of associations. E.g. the date of creation, the author, the filename, a part of the contents, etc. | emails, files, appointments |
 |
Useful, available information that must be structured with metadata | Information can be usable but is not found by people who need the information. Most of the time this is the case when the author is a different person than the reader. The available information should be organized better so people will find it better. The organization of information is done using metadata | presentations, FAQ's, knowledgebase, manuals, ISO documentation, tips, regulations |
 |
Structured information | This type of information has already metadata. This type of information is well defined. | the price of a product, the time the train leaves, the colour of paint. |
| Summary | The discipline of adding metadata should only be focused on information that:
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