Semantic Web Construction: An Inquiry of Authors’ Views on Collaborative Metadata Generation

Abstract

Increasing the amount and quality of metadata is essential for realizing the Semantic Web. The research reported on in this article addresses this topic by investigating how resource authors might best collaborate with metadata experts to expedite and improve metadata production. Resource authors, working as scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), were surveyed about collaborating with metadata experts (catalogers) during the metadata creation process. The majority of authors surveyed recognized cataloger expertise is important for organizing and indexing web resources and support the development of a collaborative metadata production operation. Authors discovered that, as creators of web resource intellectual content, they too have knowledge valuable for cataloging. This paper presents the study’s framework and results, and discusses the value of collaborative metadata generation for realizing the Semantic Web.