get_metadata.pl

The get_metadata.pl Web utility provides routines for retrieving metadata for data sets at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. By passing certain parameters to this utility, you can specify the data set, metadata format, and output style that you wish to view. All parameters are case-insensitive, meaning that the values that you provide can be any combination of lower- or upper-case characters:


id

Specify the data set identifier for the data set that you want to view metadata. Some examples include:

If you do not know the data set identifier for your desired data set, use NSIDC's data search page to locate it.


format

Specify the format that you want to view the metadata in. This includes the following geospatial metadata standards:

DIF NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Directory Interchange Format (DIF)
FGDC U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM)

If you do not specify a format parameter, the output will default to DIF.


style

Specify the output style that you want to view the metadata in. This includes one of the following options:

HTML Hypertext Markup Language: View metadata as a Web page.
text View metadata as a plain text document.
XML Extensible Markup Language

If you do not specify a style parameter, the output will default to HTML.


Examples:

Here are some examples of how to call the get_metadata.pl utility:

The National Snow and Ice Data Center

Supporting Cryospheric Research Since 1976
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