Registries: Transition from Tools to Services
Cindy Dickinson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Promoting the use of metadata registries in an organization with limited information technology resources can be a challenge. At the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, registries have been thought of as simple lookup tools for end users or complex tools for system developers. While the data standards registries that uniquely identify substances and facilities are widely appreciated, other registries (e.g. the data element and terminology registries) are underutilized.
Current technological advances such as web services offer opportunities to improve metadata management and connect the registries to translation, transformation, and information discovery services. This allows senior managers and decision makers to grasp their value. The future vision for the registries of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the incorporation of metadata services within environmental applications supporting core business functions. This session will address how the new vision is being developed and implemented.