4: View Metadata

The view metadata button on the results dialog allows you to view the FGDC format metadata file for geodata layers. This file lists key information about the geodata layer. You can use it to determine scale, attribute, projection and creation information for the geodata layers.

Importance of Metadata
It is important to keep Metadata for all files that you download from the spatial data server. If you do not have metadata for your files it will be hard, if not impossble, to determine the accuracy, attribute, and projection information for you geodata layer.

Download Metadata
To download a metadata file open the file you are interested in. In your browser window select File > Save and the file will be saved to your local computer.

Go to tutorial 5 : Adding Geodata to ArcView or ArcGIS>