Summary
 
Definition

The <Summary> field provides a brief description of the data set along with the purpose of the data. This allows potential users to determine if the data set is useful for their needs. The <Summary> field consists of:

  • <Abstract> A brief description of the data set.
  • <Purpose> The purpose of the data set.

The following are suggestions to populate the <Abstract> field:

  • Summarize/describe the data set.
  • Capitalization should follow standard constructs. For readability, all capital letters or all lower case letters should not be used. Use the appropriate case where applicable.
  • Acronyms should be expanded to provide understanding.
  • The <Abstract> may contain tabular information.
  • URLs will be automatically hyperlinked.
  • Where applicable, the <Abstract> should also include brief statements on the following information:
    • Data processing information (gridded, binned, swath, raw, algorithms used, necessary ancillary data sets).
    • Date available.
    • Data set organization (description of how data are organized within and by file).
    • Scientific methodology or analytical tools.
    • Time gaps in data set coverage.
    • Units and unit resolution.
    • Similarities and differences of these data to other closely-related data sets.
    • Other pertinent information.

    The following are suggestions to populate the <Purpose> field:

    • Describe the purpose and/or intended use of data.
    • Capitalization should follow standard constructs. For readability, all capital letters or all lower case letters should not be used. Use the appropriate case where applicable.
    • Acronyms should be expanded to provide understanding.
 
Syntax

<Summary>
<Abstract>text</Abstract>
<Purpose>text</Purpose>

</Summary>

  • Multiple lines of text are allowed for the <Abstract> and <Purpose> fields and may contain characters from the UTF-8 character set.
 
Usage
  • The <Summary> field is required and may not be repeated.
  • The <Abstract> field is required and may not be repeated.
  • The <Purpose> field is optional and may not be repeated.

 

Examples
Example of the <Summary> field with <Abstract> and <Purpose>:

<Summary>
<Abstract>
This digital database contains an OBIS formatted version of all fish records held at the Canadian Museum of Nature and collected from Canada and the United States as well as from associated marine water masses such as the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic Oceans. It excludes all other records from countries and oceans not listed above. Earliest specimens date from 1863.
</Abstract>
<Purpose>
These data are for display on the OBIS portal and associated mapping programs and for download to personal computers for ad-hoc end-user analysis.
</Purpose>
</Summary>

Example of the <Summary> field with only the <Abstract>

<Summary>
<Abstract>
Global monthly AMSR-E-derived Soil Moisture.
The dataset contains global monthly-mean soil moisture statistics (average values and standard deviation) for 1 by 1 degree grid cells. The source for the data is AMSR-E daily estimates of soil moisture (Product name: AMSR_E_L3_DailyLand). The dataset covers the time period starting July 2002.
 
Data files contain 180 lines with 360 pixels per line. The projection is latitude-longitude with the upper left corner of the first pixel of the first line positioned at 90°N 180°W.
</Abstract>
</Summary>

 

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This document should be cited as:
Directory Interchange Format (DIF) Writer's Guide, 2012.
Global Change Master Directory. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [http://gcmd.nasa.gov/User/difguide/].