PEP-6

[clnsmth]

Our team met out of band to discuss PEP-6. Here are some notes from that conversation highlighting potential areas for further discussion.

Dataset Level Annotations

• Current Behavior: We already display dataset-level annotations on the detailed metadata page. For example, see the External Annotations section at the bottom of the detailed metadata page for knb-lter-ble.32.1. PEP-6 proposes displaying them again, so this might be redundant.

Attribute Level Annotations

• Recommendation: PEP-6 recommends placing attribute-level annotations in a general Annotation field. We suggest displaying them closer to their associated element in the "Data Entities" section of the detailed metadata page. For example, annotations for the "methods" field could be shown near it, clarifying how the attribute was created. Similarly, annotations for the "units" field could be displayed under the "units" field to explain the unit of measurement.

Clarity and User Understanding

• Issue: PEP-6 introduces a general "annotations" field, but data consumers might not understand its meaning. It's important to clarify what kind of information these annotations provide.

• Suggestion: Consider adding a definition of "annotations" for user clarity.

Data Package Landing Page

• Challenge: Including all annotations in a standardized format would likely clutter the landing page.

• Recommendation: We should discuss which, if any, annotations are most relevant for the landing page. These could be displayed in a user-friendly format, similar to how provenance metadata is currently presented.