Metadata, Catalogs, and Search Blog

Have you searched far and wide for data, only to realize that when you find what you need, you open the attribute table or data table and discover that you have no clue about the attribute fields and the information they contain?  The data is difficult to comprehend, making it nearly impossible to use, let alone trust. Metadata, particularly attribute field metadata, is crucial. This information is important because it allows someone reviewing your data to more effectively assess its suitability. It directly influences the user experience in ArcGIS. Check out Transform your layers’ value with more functional attribute field names, aliases, and descriptions blog to learn more.

With increasing AI integration, Large Language Models (LLMs) also need to understand data to produce accurate results. Descriptive attribute field metadata, such as field aliases and descriptions, enhance models' ability to accurately understand and use the data effectively.

If you have taken the time to populate this metadata, you know it is time-consuming investment! You may have populated attribute field metadata in the data table, only to open up the metadata editor and realize that NONE of that metadata you populated earlier was there!

There are two resources I want to share to make creating and maintaining attribute field metadata easier.

1. Use Hosted Feature Service Alias Updater script to update the attribute field metadata using a lookup table.
2. Use the new enhancement from the ArcGIS Online June 2025 update to synchronize the updated attribute fields and metadata to the metadata record. Learn more in the Sync Attribute Fields Using the Metadata Editor blog.

With this script and recent enhancement, it is easier than ever to maintain attribute fields' metadata across each layer’s item page.

The 2025 Esri User Conference is right around the corner, and we are excited to connect with you. UC is filled with many presentations and events, with hundreds of topics covered. To help you get the most out of your experience, we’ve created a custom agenda for Metadata Management. We hope these sessions will be enjoyable and informative as you continue your geospatial journey.

View our Metadata Management custom agenda that you can add directly to your UC account.

We also have SIGs (Special Interest Groups) available for you to attend this year. Two great SIGs that you might find particularly interesting are the:

Geospatial Ecosystems SIG: Improving ROI for Modern SDI

Community Engagement SIG: Using Hubs for Deeper Collaboration

SIGs are a great way to hear from and network with like-minded professionals. This year advanced sign-ups for SIGs will be required, ensuring everyone who signs up will have a seat, and that there is ample room. It’s easy to reserve, just register for UC and add sessions to your schedule. You can also join a waitlist if your SIG is full, as seats will open as others update their plans. Reservations will be held until 5 minutes before the start time.  If you forget to sign up, or find yourself available at the last minute, any extra spots will be made available at the door on a first-come, first served basis.

The Metadata Management kiosk will be in the Open Platform area. If you would like a pdf of the entire Open Platform schedule to print and take with you, it is attached below.

If you would like a like a pdf of the entire Open Platform schedule to print and take with you, it is attached below.

We hope you have a wonderful UC experience this year!

The new metadata editor is now available in ArcGIS Pro 3.5! Unify your metadata editing experience across the platform.

Watch the video: https://ow.ly/gq2650VYwYW
Read more on the metadata editor in ArcGIS Pro: https://ow.ly/8zPa30sMGcm

Having good metadata is important for making the geospatial content you share findable. Thankfully, it’s never been easier with the new metadata editor. Learn about the process of overwriting metadata, and new enhancements, in this ArcGIS Blog article!

As we begin to wrap up our year, we are looking ahead to 2025! We are moving forward with the unified metadata editor, and announcing the upcoming retirement of metadata editor classic in 2025. Please check out the Moving Forward with Metadata: Metadata Editor Classic Is Retiring blog for additional details, and as always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions/concerns. Thank you!

Metadata coming for the ride when you automate an information product!

The Esri User Conference (Esri UC) has many presentations and events with hundreds of topics covered. To help you find your way to the Metadata, Catalog, & Search related sessions, we have prepared this focused agenda. Looking forward to seeing you at the UC!

Review the focused agenda.

How do you create INSPIRE Metadata using the new ArcGIS metadata editor? This tutorial provides step-by-step guidance. The new ArcGIS metadata editor, available in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise 11.3+, makes creating metadata in compliance with the European Commission's Open Data Directive and INSPIRE Directive easier than ever.

This lesson steps you through using the ArcGIS Enterprise metadata editor classic to create INSPIRE Metadata v2 for dataset metadata. This tutorial applies to creating INSPIRE Metadata in the ArcGIS Enterprise portal 10.9 to 11.2. Today, ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise 11.3+ include the new metadata editor. See Create INSPIRE Metadata using ArcGIS’s New Metadata Editor. 

With the Fall ArcGIS Online 2023 release, the new metadata editor is officially out of Beta.