Defining Terms
- Attribute
- An attribute describes an element. For instance, in the HTML tag
<a href="http://www.washington.edu/">,hrefis an attribute that describes the<a>element. - Consumption
- Consumption is the act of using a resource, whether that resource is destroyed in the process or not.
- Data
- A raw fact that has not been processed.
- Element
- An element stores a single piece of information. In HTML,
<a>is an element. - Information
- Information adds context and meaning to data. In other words, information conveys data in such a way as to make it relevant.
- Inputs
- Measurable objects that the University brings in in order to operate (water, paper, electricity).
- Metadata
- Metadata is data about data. It provides descriptive information about a particular piece of data.
- Metadata schema
- A metadata schema describes how metadata is structured and utilized and sets forth the formal rules of usage for that metadata. Most often, metadata schemas are seen in the form of XML declarations or database designs. For this project, the metadata schema will be generated as an XML schema.
- Outputs
- Measurable objects that result from the usage and consumption of the various inputs into the University's environment. Examples would include the amount of paper recycled, the amount of trash sent to the landfill, or the number of textbooks returned from the bookstore to publishers.
- Sustainability (business)
- The increase in productivity and/or reduction of consumed resources without compromising product or service quality, competitiveness, or profitability (Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship).
- Sustainability (environmental)
- Creating ideal relationships with our surrounding environment that do not detract from the future's ability to meet their own needs and instead focus on creating balance and equilibrium between our actions and our environment.
