Curated Vocabularies
Using curated, controlled vocabularies developed through national and international earth‑science semantic networks, is a key step in data curation.
Standardized vocabularies ensure data is:
- ✅ Consistent → terms mean the same thing across datasets
- ✅ Unambiguous → reduces confusion in interpretation
- ✅ Interoperable → reusable across systems and repositories
Simply put, they provide a common language for describing data.
Standardized Terms Used by CanWIN
Below are the main controlled vocabularies you’ll encounter when publishing or viewing data in CanWIN.
🔑 Keywords
Keywords highlight the main ideas in your research, making data easier to find in the Data Catalogue or other repositories.
CanWIN maintains a curated list of standardized keywords for Arctic and freshwater data.
Primary source vocabulary: Polar Data Catalogue (PDC)
CanWIN's Curated Keywords
📊 Variable Descriptors
Variable descriptors add context to tabular data or data dictionaries, helping users understand variables more clearly.
Primary source vocabulary: EPA & USGS Water Quality eXchange (WQX)
CanWIN's Variable Descriptors
🧾 Variable Names
Standardized variable names link measurements to permanent, clearly defined terms and definitions.
This removes ambiguity and makes data easier to reuse across disciplines.
Primary source vocabularies:
- BODC NERC Vocabulary
- CF Standard Names