Metadata is an integral part of information technology and for cloud computing. Learn more about the importance and use of metadata in this article.
What is metadata?
Metadata is structured data that contains information about other files such as photos, text or web pages. They are used to better manage large amounts of data and make it easier to index. Meta notes contain information about other data. As a result, large amounts of data are better sorted and can be found quickly. Numerous applications in information technology produce and store such hints. For users, however, such additional information is often difficult to find because it is captured and stored in the background.
An example provides a good illustration of what metadata are and what function they perform. In a library, there are thousands of books whose contents are data. If a search is made in this data for a specific piece of information, this would be possible by reading all the books. However, the appropriate information can be found in another way. The meta-data of the books provide information about which works have any relevance for the search. In the case of books, the meta notes include the title or keywords with page numbers.
Types of metadata
Basically, meta-information can be divided into three types:
Technical metadata contains information such as the file format or the resolution for an image. Descriptive metadata refers to the title of a file, keywords or short explanations of the content. Administrative metadata provides information about licenses or copyrights of data.
Meta information can be stored in formats. More than 20 of them exist. Well-known examples of metadata formats are Dublin Core, for describing documents and objects on the Internet, and the Exchangeable Image File Format (Exif). This format provides additional information in image files of digital cameras. In addition, meta information is also stored directly in files.
Examples for the use of meta information
Meta-information is used in almost all areas of everyday life. Although they are a standard part of digital data sets, very few people know anything about metadata. The following overview provides insight into where and in what form structured information occurs.
Meta information in digital images
Photographs taken by a digital camera automatically receive metadata in Exif format. These are technical notes that store specific information. This includes, for example, information such as the date the photo was taken, the focal length or the aperture. Software allows users to delete or manually adjust the metadata. Photographers can expand the supplementary information and add a name, subject description or location. A similar use of meta information exists with digital music files or video files. In both cases, the metadata is stored in the file in mp3 format or mpg format.
Meta information in statistics
In statistics, all data that does not directly express the content of the statistical data is considered meta-information. It does not matter whether the statistical data is micro or macro data. Examples of macro data in statistics are the name of the institute that produces surveys or descriptions of operational processes.
Meta information in online marketing
Search engines constantly crawl the web and create meta information for individual web pages. The data helps search engines to evaluate, categorize and virtually store content on the web. When a search query is made, the meta data and the user’s search intention are then compared in order to present suitable search results. Webmasters also have the option of storing certain additional information on their pages. In this way, they mark content and topics so that search engines understand what a website is about. In this area, meta information is one of the most important components of search engine optimization (SEO).
The meta data is located as metatags directly in the HTML code of a web page. Tools help to integrate the data into the code. As a result, the information is not visible to users because the data exists in the code but is not displayed as page content. The only visible metadata in online marketing is the meta title or title tag and the description. They are displayed to users as SERP snippets in search results. With the help of the visible meta information, users recognize the topic of the content. The content of the supplementary details affects rankings and click-through rate.
Metadata in the cloud
Due to the increasing digitization of companies, the amount of data to be processed is also increasing. A sensible data structure is the basis for efficiently storing, managing and processing data. In addition, data and databases can be analyzed at any time on the basis of the stored meta data.
With cloud computing, it is possible to store all meta data centrally, detached from the content data. Metadata is managed in a cloud independently of the actual files (documents, videos, photos). This means that additional details can also be stored either in the cloud or locally. Access is possible from different data sources, both within a department, a company or a network of several partners. If required, it is no problem to retrieve this information from anywhere.
The issue of data security is important when storing metadata in clouds. Individual rules can be used to create specific access rights for users so that there is always control over who accesses the additional information. The aspect of secure data also includes the fact that only users with access rights can add further meta information or release it for new users.
With TeamDrive, metadata such as file or folder names are always encrypted. In addition, it is not possible to see who is exchanging confidential documents with other people in the cloud. Meta information is valuable and important. However, this information is also subject to data protection. They must therefore be used sparingly in detail and individually and coordinated for each use case.
How is metadata stored?
To store metadata, users have several options. For example, one way is to place meta information directly in the document. In a book, the name of the author, the year of publication and the ISBN are usually on the first pages. Metadata in an HTML document is also often stored in the header of a web page.
Other storage locations are reference works, references or glossaries. Here, metadata is separated from the other content, often with a reference to the location of the data. For computer files, metadata is located in the attributes of the file. The file name of images or other data such as music or videos also usually includes the file type.
Security aspects of stored meta information
Metadata are helpful and important additions to stored data in a cloud. However, they present potential risks and security issues as well. Many cloud providers advertise that they transmit and store confidential data using encryption. However, they do not mention that the metadata of these files in the cloud is not encrypted by most providers.
Facebook can be cited as an example. The company talks about end-to-end encrypted communication for its Messenger service WhatsApp. The metadata generated in the chats can be used by Facebook and its customers. The company knows who communicates when and with whom via Messenger. The metadata is generated by location information, external links, and other information so that Facebook knows about it.
Profiles and information can be derived from this data without knowing the content itself. Other metadata, such as the naming of folders and files, can make the contents of encrypted documents traceable. If someone saves a document with the name “Notice to employee Max Mustermann” in OneDrive or sends it by e-mail, it is possible internally for system administrators in the company to draw valuable conclusions from it, even though the content of the file remains encrypted.
