What is MERLIN?

MEtadata Records Library and Information Network (MERLIN) is the RESTORE Council's online metadata records application. This tool assists award recipients to prepare and submit required ISO-19115 metadata records that describe observational data collected, as part of RESTORE Council funded activities. MERLIN provides a catalogue of published RESTORE Council funded observational metadata records, for Gulf of Mexico stakeholders. The MERLIN User Guide provides more instructions on accessing and navigating the system.

What is Metadata?

Metadata, or 'the documentation of data,' makes data discoverable, usable, and understandable. A variety of metadata standards and formats have been developed over time to support data discovery and data documentation. Metadata can be represented in a number of standards and formats. For example, many discipline-specific or community-specific metadata standards have been developed to support data management and data discovery systems and to capture and convey information to users.

Council Metadata Standard

In June 2017, the RESTORE Council approved the adoption of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 19115 metadata standard (and the associated series of standards) for Council-funded activities. The adoption of this standard is in line with the December 2016 Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Steering Committee endorsement of ISO standards and efforts to convert all Federal agencies to use the ISO standard. The adoption of the ISO standard will bring consistency to documenting ecosystem data collected on Council-funded projects, allow for the development of MERLIN to support Council member agencies and their staff, and support the discoverability of ecosystem data across Council agencies.