The Development and Use of Metadata Application Profiles: The Government of Canada Experience.

A metadata application profile identifies the metadata elements used in a particular domain or application and describes how they have been customized for that use. A metadata application profile facilitates information exchange and element re-use. In practice, the development and use of metadata application profiles present a number of challenges. This paper investigates these issues by examining the definition and function of a metadata application profile, interoperability challenges, and the evolution of thinking about metadata elements, element sets, and application profiles. The authors draw on their experience in the Government of Canada to discuss these issues and suggest rections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]