Managing metadata well is the key to making a repository of open geographic data
really useful and re-usable. Creating metadata can be a dull chore. Part of the
problem is over-focus on production, rather than consumption; on standards, rather
than on usage. The Open Geodata Committee at OSGeo has been working on a "simplest
useful thing" approach to geographic metadata. This talk discusses ways in which
metadata creation can be made easier (by automatic extraction from standards based
formats), more fun (through 'conversational' irc and email interfaces rather than
filling in forms) and more useful (via GeoRSS syndication and machine-assisted
web-based search).