Week 9 Activity — A Brief Metadata Melodrama¶
Lecture · Day 16 · Tuesday of Week 9 — Metadata
Graded in-class activity. What I learned about metadata: write down a couple of things you learned today. Record your completion on Learning Suite.
In the Spatial Metadata deck, "A brief metadata melodrama." The script is below; the original is "Metadata Football Data.docx" in the Lectures/Archived folder.
Setup. Nine volunteers, each handed one role card printed from the script. Props are optional; a cape for Data helps.
Cast. Data; the villains Unreliability and Irrelevance; the six heroes What, Where, When, Why, How, Who.
Run. Read in order. Data reads the opening line, the villains attack, the heroes arrive one at a time, and Data closes. Eight minutes including applause.
Script.
Data: Hello, my name is Data. I am not a robot on Star Trek. I am an important bit of spatial information about the world. I can be very useful for solving engineering and science problems. Oh no! Who is that? I hope it isn't my old nemesis, Unreliability!
Unreliability: It is I! (evil laugh) Unreliability! And I am here to destroy your value, Data! Since you have no metadata, I am going to make you worthless and meaningless to future users. Sure, maybe that one person who created you will still love you and care about you, but no one else! Because they have no clue what you are, they will dare not use you for anything! (another evil laugh)
Data: Woe is me! Will no one come to my rescue?
What: Have no fear, Data! I am here to save you! I am the metadata element of "What"! I will describe what you are. I'll be like a citation or bibliography for you! No one will ever have to wonder what you are again!
Where: Have no fear, Data! I am here to save you too! I am the metadata element of "Where"! I will tell the world what part of the world you represent! I will give them your latitude (pause for cheer from the audience), your longitude (pause for cheer). I will give them (wait for it) your projection information!
When: Have no fear, Data! I am here to save you too! I am the metadata element of "When"! I will tell the world when you were created! I will tell the world what date or time you represent! No one will ever again falsely accuse you of being older or younger than you are! No early retirement center for you, Data! I love you, Data! (gets down on one knee) When, Data? When will you love me back?
Data: I feel so happy now to be protected by What, Where, and When! Yay! But wait, who is that coming to attack now? Oh dear, could it be? No! (scream) It's Irrelevance!
Irrelevance: Ha ha ha ha (evil screeching laugh). It's too late for you, Data! I am Irrelevance! Some people call me "So what!" I am here to destroy you once and for all! You are nothing to me! There is no reason for your existence! I will make sure the world knows you have no purpose! We don't even know how you were created or by whom! For all you know... (Darth Vader voice) I AM YOUR FATHER!
Why: Have no fear, Data! I am here to save you! I am the metadata element of "Why"! I will tell the world why you were created! Your life will now have real meaning! If the world knows why you were created then they can better use you for your intended purpose! No longer will people be trying to misuse you for weird and inappropriate purposes! I am awesome! (small dance) (beats chest) (chanting: Why! Why! Why! Why!)
How: Have no fear, Data! I am here to save you! I am the metadata element of "How"! I will tell the world how you were created! Were you collected by GPS? Satellite? A guy with a yardstick? You will never have to wonder again! I am all-knowledgeable. (shouting) I will tell you how!
Who: Have no fear, Data! I am here to save you! I am the metadata element of "Who"! I will tell the world who created you! No longer will you wonder who brought you into being! The world will know! The world must know! I am about to tell you right now! The words are about to come out of my mouth! Here it comes! I am about to say it! Your... creator... was...
Data: Well, that was strange, but I feel so much safer and happier now! I have meaning! I have purpose! I... AM... DATA! (shouting)
Same deck, "In-class activity: What I learned about metadata."
Five minutes after the melodrama. Students write down a couple of things they learned, one of which they will actually check the next time they download data, and enter them on In Class Activity: What I learned about metadata. Collect two or three answers out loud.