Is Dataverse's Astronomy Metadata Aligned with Current IVOA Standards?

[Alfredo Cosco]

I was speaking with an astrophysicist about Dataverse, and he asked me about the possibility of using dedicated metadata. I referred him to the manual page that states:

"Astronomy and Astrophysics Metadata (see .tsv): These metadata elements can be mapped/exported to the International Virtual Observatory Alliance's (IVOA) VOResource Schema format and is based on Virtual Observatory (VO) Discovery and Provenance Metadata."

However, he pointed out that the link to the VOResource Schema format, although labeled as "latest," is incorrect and dates back to 2007. He informed me that the current version is 1.2, with specifications available in this document: https://www.ivoa.net/documents/VOResource/20250416/REC-VOResource-1.2.pdf

He also mentioned that there are now several extensions, including this one: https://www.ivoa.net/documents/VODataService/

which is essential for describing collections and services in the IVOA metadata repository (Registry).

Additionally, he contested that the second link in the manual: https://perma.cc/H5ZJ-4KKY

points to an unofficial IVOA document dating back to 2012.

Questions:

• Does anyone have experience using metadata for astrophysics applications?
• Is Dataverse's TSV aligned with the latest metadata releases?

Thank you for any insights you can provide,
Alfredo

[Julian Gautier]

Hi Alfredo,

Has the astrophysicist you're speaking with had a chance to also see the "Astronomy and Astrophysics Metadata" metadata block in the Dataverse UI? I'm wondering if that might help with your second question by helping them evaluate if it's aligned with that v1.2 specifications you pointed to.

For your first question about finding other folks who have experience using metadata for astrophysics applications, I could help try to connect you with folks at Harvard's Center for Astrophysics. Might that be helpful?

All best,

Julian

[Alfredo Cosco]

Hi Julian,
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to have the astrophysicist verify the dedicated metadata block. I would like to, but I don't have access to a public demo to show him. If you know of a public resource that offers this opportunity, it would be an excellent starting point to move beyond purely theoretical discussions.
Regarding the possibility of making contact, thank you—that would be very helpful, especially if they are already using Dataverse successfully.
Best regards,
Alfredo

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Dataverse Users Community" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to dataverse-commu...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/dataverse-community/443261f5-7238-4e00-9c76-3b860e5a93ebn%40googlegroups.com.

[Julian Gautier]

Ah, on https://demo.dataverse.org, when you create a collection there you can turn on that "Astronomy and Astrophysics Metadata" metadata block.

I believe folks from Harvard's Center for Astrophysics in some way helped design that metadata block, but this was a while back so they might not be available. I'll email you directly today to try to connect you with someone there.