What is Metadata?

Now you are probably wondering what this topic is actually about? What even is metadata? Why do we need to learn about it? Why is it useful. Let’s start off with some basic definitions:

• Meta: An underlying definition or description (WhatIs.com, 2019^[1]).
• Data: Information in digital form that can be transmitted or processed (Merriam-Webster^[2]).
• Metadata: Data that describes other data.

So let’s get more specific you probably have tons of questions. Metadata is important because it tells us everything we need to know about our data. For example, the metadata of a .JPG photo file could tell us the data and time the photo was taken, when it was modified, the focal length of the lens, the colour space, and much more. Here are some of the other things metadata can tell us: author, file size, attributes, width/height, keywords, source, etc. 

I’ve inserted a screenshot of some metadata in a .JPG photo file (Beal, 2007^[3]). As you can see, this information IS metadata! It tells you more about the actual document/file.

Can you tell me what day this file was created? Modified? Accessed?

What is the file size?

Look at you reading all that metadata, you’re learning so fast!