Note: this was a project for a graduate course in Knowledge Organization Systems
Metadata schema for radiological terrorism research (MSRTR)
Terrorism research is a complex field dealing with a number of entities, each with their own metadata requirements. This document is an introduction to the kinds of schema that will be necessary for proper cataloging, identification, and retrieval in the radiological terrorism subfield. Schema for radioactive material sources and radiological terrorism responses are presented below, followed by sample records and a crosswalk between the two scheme and the Dublin Core. Schema were made as simple as possible (8 and 6 main fields, with several qualifiers, respectively) in order to make application quick, easy and consistent.
Fields are described in the following format:
- Field Name
- Qualifiers: additional subfields
- Definition: a description of the field and usage
- Data Values: notes whether data is controlled or uncontrolled, and if controlled the terms allowed or the source of terms allowed.
- Status: cardinality of the field (recommended, required, optional)
- Number: number of entries allowed for each record for this field (single, multiple)
- Dublin Core: corresponding field in the Dublin Core. This information is repeated in the crosswalk as well.
Metadata for radioactive material sources (RMS)
Identifier
- Qualifiers: None
- Definition: Code number used to identify source in database.
- Data Values (controlled): Auto-generated database identity field values
- Status: required
- Number: single
- Dublin Core: IDENTIFIER
Name
- Qualifiers: None
- Definition: Way in which a site is identified, for example the name of a hospital, power plant, mine, etc.
- Data Values (uncontrolled):
- Status: required
- Number: multiple
- Dublin Core: TITLE
Owner
- Qualifiers: None
- Definition: The name of the person, company, government, or other organization that owns the source.
- Data Values (uncontrolled)
- Status: recommended
- Number: multiple
- Dublin Core: CREATOR
Location
- Qualifiers: Location.Coordinates, Location.Country
- Definition: Physical location of source.
- Data Values (controlled): ISO 6709:1983 for Coordinates, ISO 3166 Country Codes for Country
- Status: recommended
- Number: single
- Dublin Core: COVERAGE
Level
- Qualifiers: None
- Definition:
- Data Values (controlled): high-level, low-level
- Status: recommended
- Number: multiple
- Dublin Core: TYPE
Type
- Qualifiers: None
- Definition: Radioactive waste is categorized according to its origin and not necessarily according to its level of radioactivity. For example, some low-level waste has the same level of radioactivity as some high-level waste. (http://www.epa.gov/radiation/docs/radwaste/index.html)
- Data Values (controlled): spent nuclear fuel, transuranic waste mainly from defense programs, uranium mill tailings, low-level waste, naturally occurring and accelerator-produced radioactive materials.
- Status: recommended
- Number: multiple
- Dublin Core: TYPE
Description
- Qualifiers: Description.Facility, Description.Security, Description.Storage
- Definition: Text description of the facility, security, and storage methods.
- Data Values (uncontrolled)
- Status: recommended
- Number: single
- Dublin Core: DESCRIPTION
Isotopes
- Qualifiers: Isotopes.Present, Isotopes.Potential
- Definition: Radioactive Isotopes either present or potentially present at the source.
- Data Values (controlled): IUPAC isotope symbols
- Status: recommended
- Number: multiple
- Dublin Core: DESCRIPTION
Metadata for radiological terrorism responses (RTR)
Identifier
- Qualifiers: None
- Definition: Code number used to identify repsonse in database.
- Data Values (controlled): Auto-generated database identity field values
- Status: required
- Number: single
- Dublin Core: IDENTIFIER
Name
- Qualifiers: None
- Definition: Way in which a response is identified, a short description of the action taken
- Data Values (uncontrolled):
- Status: required
- Number: single
- Dublin Core: TITLE
Type
- Qualifiers: None
- Definition: Denotes the type of response and group primarily responsible for the response.
- Data Values (controlled): medical, public, military
- Status: required
- Number: single
- Dublin Core: TYPE
Description
- Qualifiers: Description.Process, Description.Event, Description.Other
- Definition: Text description of the response process, event this is a response to, and other details.
- Data Values (uncontrolled)
- Status: recommended
- Number: multiple
- Dublin Core: DESCRIPTION
Expertise
- Qualifiers: Expertise.Required, Expertise.Other
- Definition: Types of expertise either required for the response to occur, or possibly useful during course of response.
- Data Values (uncontrolled)
- Status: recommended
- Number: multiple
- Dublin Core: DESCRIPTION
Related
- Qualifiers: Related.Prerequisite, Related.Required_for, Related.Concurrent
- Definition: Other responses that are either required before this response, require this response to proceed, or may be enacted concurrently with this response in a complimentary way.
- Data Values (controlled): Identifier values
- Status: recommended
- Number: multiple
- Dublin Core: RELATION
Sample Record 1, Radiological material source
Identifier 000050060891
Name Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
SNPP
Owner Montgomery Burns
Location.Country US
Level high-level
Type spent nuclear fuel
Description.Facility In 2001, Unit 1 had a capacity factor of 100.5 percent and supplied 7.68 billion kilowatthours of electricity. PWR (pressurized light water reactor).
Description.Security Security meets U.S. DOE standards for this type of power plant.
Description.Storage Storage conforms to U.S. DOE standards for this type of power plant, but there have been a number of accidental releases in recent years.
Isotopes.Present U-235
Sample Record 2, Response to radiological terrorism
Identifier 003450666894
Name Duck and cover
Type Public
Description.Process If in a school building, elementary students will get up from their desks in a clam and orderly manner, drop to the floor and place themselves underneath the desk, with their hands covering the backs of their necks. If caught outdoors, students will drop their bicycles and/or jump ropes, find a wall, drop tot the ground next to it and cover the backs of their necks with their hands.
Description.Event This is the appropriate response for any radiological or nuclear event occurring in the 1950s, including the nearby explosion of an atomic bomb.
Description.Other Students are also encouraged not to stare at the brilliant flash of an atomic bomb.
Expertise.Required Propaganda Film-making
Related.Prerequisite 003345345344 (Development of nuclear bomb proof desks)
003345345372 (Promotion of Cold War anxieties in populace)
Related.Concurrent 003345388843 (Prayer)
Crosswalk
RMS: Identifier
RTR: Identifier
Dublin Core: IDENTIFIER
RMS: Name
RTR: Name
Dublin Core: TITLE
RMS: Owner
RTR: Description.Other
Dublin Core: CREATOR
RMS: Location
RTR: Description.Event
Dublin Core: COVERAGE
RMS: Level
RTR: Description.Event
Dublin Core: TYPE
RMS: Type
RTR: Description.Event
Dublin Core: TYPE
RMS: Description
RTR: Description.Other
Dublin Core: DESCRIPTION
Isotopes
RTR: Description.Event
Dublin Core: DESCRIPTION
RTR: Expertise
RMS: Description
Dublin Core: DESCRIPTION
RTR: Related
RMS: Description
Dublin Core: RELATION