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Usage
Can be used for all materials: books, datasets, objects, events, people
- using GILS locator records. Current primary usage is identifying and
describing information resources throughout the Federal government and
providing assistance in obtaining the information (as part of the Federal
role in the National Information Infrastructure).
Creators
Chief creator was Eliot Christian, of the U.S.G.S., who continues to provide
leadership. Numerous Federal Government Agencies, Corporations and Universities
have contributed to GILS policy, standards and implementation.
Revisions
Version 0.3b (1999 July 26) updated by version 0.4 (2000 Nov. 28). The
GILS discussion list http://www.gils.net/forum.html serves as the forum
for all proposed changes to the GILS Profile. Changes are coordinated
with other standards bodies through the Open Systems Environment Implementers
Workshop (OIW). When changes occur, the U.S. Federal Government also updates
the GILS Federal Information Processing Standard.
Ease of use
Extremely variable. Record structure can be as simple or complicated as
desired. GILS does not enforce any particular format and avoids having
a central authority or other fixed relationships. Based on the ISO 23950
search standard, GILS includes the most commonly understood concepts used
for searching. Implementation requires GILS compliant software. GILS adopts
some MARC semantics for the elements used in locator records; see: http://www.gils.net/prof_v2.html#annex_b
Documentation
Primary policies, standards and systems information at: http://www.gils.net/
.
Documentation on some usage and for proposed changes on GILS discussion
list: http://www.gils.net/forum.html .
Thesauri
There is no single thesaurus specific to GILS.
Projects
Examples of GILS Implementations: http://www.gils.net/examples.html
USGS records in the CORC database: http://www.gils.net/corc.html
There are numerous state project examples: http://states.gils.net/statemap.html
Granularity
GILS core elements provide the base upon which GILS locator records are
created. Allows for any level of description desired, from collection
to item. Relations to other records/entries are managed through linkage
data elements.
Data for Original and Surrogate
Can be used to describe both surrogate and original.
Metadata types
Provides for descriptive metadata. Provides for some administrative metadata
through data elements such as: technical prerequisites, sources of data,
methodology, access constraints, general access constraints, and originator
dissemination control. Structural metadata appears to be managed only
through chosen GILS compliant software.
