How are metadata treated?
Metadata are treated at several levels. First, over-arching metadata have been compiled for the processed outputs of dbSEABED (see http://instaar.colorado.edu/~jenkinsc/dbseabed/resources/db9_MetadataFGDC.txt). Second, the USGS and others have compiled metadata for individual data sets as they are entered into dbSEABED. Third, metadata describing measurement techniques, features and problems in the data, edits that we have made in dbSEABED, who collected and analysed the data, etc., are held in direct association with the data in the DRF files. These most detailed metadata are best viewed in the RDB structure, which also puts out reports when data values are beyond plausible limits, for example a grain size of 14 phi.
