Section 3
Controlled Vocabularies
The PIDINST application supports controlled vocabularies to improve consistency, discoverability, and search quality across instrument and platform records. Controlled vocabularies help users select recognised terms rather than entering free-text values, reducing duplication and variation in how similar concepts are described.
Instrument Type, Platform Type and Measured Variables
For Instrument Type, Platform Type, and Measured Variables, users can select terms from recognised GCMD keywords or from custom hierarchical taxonomies defined within the site. These custom taxonomies allow users to grow their own controlled dictionaries for instruments, platforms, and measured variables, while maintaining structured relationships between broader and narrower terms. This provides flexibility for local AuScope requirements while still supporting consistent metadata entry and improved searchability.
See Taxonomies for how to browse and maintain these vocabularies.
Owners, Manufacturers and Funders
For fields such as Owners, Manufacturers, and Funders, the application uses the concept of Parties. Parties provide a controlled way to manage organisations or individuals associated with instrument records. The Parties system also supports integration with the ROR API, allowing organisations to be linked to recognised Research Organisation Registry identifiers where available.
See Parties for how to create and manage these records.
Why this matters
Together, these controlled vocabularies and party records help ensure that instrument metadata is entered consistently, searched more effectively, and linked more reliably to external standards and registries.