Metadata is everywhere; it is part of almost everything you do online whether it is searching, shopping or listening to music. But what is it? DataInformed brought this news to us in their article, “What Is Metadata? A Simple Guide to What Everyone Should Know.”

Metadata is data that describes other data. In information technology, the prefix meta means “an underlying definition or description.” Metadata describes whatever piece of data it happens to be connected to, and we mean everything.

Since metadata summarizes basic information about data, such as type of asset, author, date created, usage, and file size, metadata is crucial to the efficiency of information systems to classify and categorize data.

Is metadata still needed in a big data world? Of course. Metadata is actually more important (if that was possible) in a big data world because it can provide a competitive advantage.

As each new big data initiative is launched, it is essential to accompany it with a comprehensive metadata management strategy to maintain consistency.

Melody K. Smith

Sponsored by Access Innovations, the world leader in taxonomies, metadata, and semantic enrichment to make your content findable.