Glossary

Cadastral
A system for allocating reference numbers to blocks of land.

Data Structure
A formal arrangement of elements of data in fields which specify the expressions and format for recording data.

Designated Site
A site which has been identified as having a particular status by an organisation; it does not imply any legal protection.

Free Text
A text field, without a controlled vocabulary, which can be any length that is supported by the information system in use.

ISO
International Organisation for Standardisation; an international organisation charged with developing standards for the international exchange of information.

Locality
Any named inhabited area; used in the core data standard for postal address where it is not the name of a town or city.

Mandatory
Information that must be supplied (ÒunknownÓ may be an acceptable entry). In the core data standard, core sections are mandatory. Within sections that are optional, some sub-sections are mandatory if that section is used.

Monument
A site with standing structural elements; site is the more inclusive term.

Originator of Reference
Used throughout the core data standard to identify individuals or organisations which are the source of references.

Parent-Child Relationship
A hierarchical relationship between two items of data. The "parent" is one level above the "child". For a parentÐchild relationship, both the "parent" and the "child" must exist.

Provenance
The place of origin of an object or record, or the documentation of the history of origin and transfer of objects or records. In North America the alternative spelling "provenience" is used to distinguish the former meaning.

Qualifier
A term which modifies the principal term, providing additional information.

Site
Any place or set of remains so designated by an individual or organisation; usually meets formal criteria for such designation.

Site Category
A general classification system based on the site function. It includes one or more site types with a common function.

Site Type
A classification system that describes the function of the site. It is a more specific term than site category.

Topology
The properties of a geometrical figure.

Unique
Used in the core data standard to refer to a piece of discrete information that is expressed in characters (i.e., words or letters), numbers, or a combination. Different pieces of discrete information are contained in separate, repeating fields.