3. AGRIS AP: What is it?

Taking into consideration all of these issues, it was clear that we needed new strategies to entice the AGRIS centres to send us data in a platform independent format. The quest for a single standard to describe agricultural resources led us to the conclusion that there would not be a single set that could be used ‘as is’. Nevertheless, in order to not reinvent the wheel, we wanted to make use of what is already around and create extensions only where it was absolutely necessary. We needed to define our own application specific profile. Application profiles (or APs) provide the possibility to ‘mix and match’ what already exists^[10]. The AGRIS AP was thus created by taking elements and refinements that are already in existence, such as those declared by organizations like DC and AGLS and those declared by AgMES.

The AGRIS AP is a standard created specifically to enhance description, exchange and subsequent retrieval of agricultural Document-Like Information Objects (DLIOs)^[11]. It is a format to produce high quality metadata and allows for a platform-independent exchange of information about different types of agricultural resources. It prescribes a data model by taking specific elements from established namespaces^[12] namely; Agricultural Metadata Element Set (AgMES)^[13] and the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (DCMES)^[14] and Australian Government Locator Service (AGLS)^[15]. The use of well accepted standards improves both interoperability and resource discovery, and at the same time it promotes reuse and restricts reinvention. AgMES was created to accommodate elements, refinements and schemes that are necessary for description and discovery of agricultural information resources. It does not reinvent the elements, but only extends the DC where necessary. These extensions considerably improve the quality of metadata and subsequently improve the access and retrieval of the information.

The AGRIS AP consists of 15 core elements, 43 refinements and 32 schemes and provides best recommended practices for entry of data on each of the elements and refinements. It also provides information on cardinality, obligation and the allowed data format.