gives: the description, the obligatory and optional fields, 
the cardinality and the format. 
SECTION X (definition of the sections) 
Description 
Constraints 
Cardinalitie 
s 
Types 
Description 
of the 
contents of 
the elements 
that make up 
the metadata. 
Constraints or 
non 
constraints of 
the field 
(O/M). 
Cardinality 
(1/N): the 
presence of 
one or more 
types 
of data. 
Alphanum 
erical 
numerical 
data. 
Figure 2.1 - Example of a metadata description in the 
CEN guidelines. 
The nine sections are as follows: 
• Data base identification 
• General description 
• Data base quality 
• Spatial reference system 
• Extension 
• Data definitions 
• Classification 
• Data base management 
• Metadata information 
The guidelines foresees the definition of the data bank 
item, that can be integrated with a general item and a 
general data bank description. 
This description must contain information on the data 
bank, the scope, the use, the archiving scheme and the 
spatial reference system. 
The information furnished by metadata can be extensive 
or synthetic; the manager can decide whether to give all 
the information or only the information on where the data 
can be found. 
3. O.G.R.: A PRACTICAL APPLICATION 
The application that is here proposed is an example of 
primary metric data archiving. Together with the data 
structure, a metadata structure has been set up which 
completely complies with the guidelines suggested by 
CEN. There are metadata that can be defined as 
“obligatory” and others that are defined as “optional”. 
The proposed structure can be implemented using any 
software (MGE, ARCINFO, ArcView; Map Info, Atlas 
Gis Geomedia/Web) and can be inserted together with 
the databanks of all the other Land Information Systems 
that today are used for the organisation and planning of 
the land. 
The decision to not use specifically planned systems for 
the cataloguing of architectural goods (e.g. GART, 
GUARINI; APIS) can be explained by the necessity of 
limiting the costs of the intervention (Waldhausl, 1997). 
The O.G.R. area is part of the industrial expansion of 
Turin that took place at the end of the last century. The 
new Master Plan of the City of Turin, destined part of 
this area for the enlargement of the Politecnico and for 
the creation of an ecological area. It has been necessary 
to demolish some buildings and modify the general 
layout of the area. 
The Geomatics and Surveying sector has been encharged 
to carry out: 
a complete documentation of the O.G.R. area 
an information archiving experiment 
a collection of photogrammetrical and topographical 
information 
data availability via Internet. 
The primary data relative to the photogrammetric 
documentation of the objects and of the area were 
collected according to the guidelines proposed at the 
C.I.P.A. convention of 1993, called “3x3 guidelines”. 
The preliminary work stage was that of carrying out the 
stereoscopic taking of the significant façades of the 
buildings. 
The archiving of the data and the metadata has been 
organised : a General Project and three “modules” : 
• “NETWORK” MODULE: which includes, as data, 
the sketch and co-ordinates of the geodetical and 
control points in several reference systems (local 
system, national cartographic system) and, as 
metadata, the information on the methods, 
procedures and instruments used for the survey and 
adjustment of the networks. 
• “BUILDING” MODULE: which includes, as data, 
the identification of the building and the link to 
vector drawings, orthophotos and 3D modelling of 
the objects. As metadata, compilation and 
availability of the data, instruments and software, 
interchange formats. 
GENERAL PROJECT 
DATA METADATA 
General planimetry of the 
area in 1:500 scale 
Id of the buildings 
Name of the databank 
owner 
reference 
Figure 3.1 - Data and metadata of a general project