Which metadata format is commonly used for sharing various types of data?

The choice of XML as a metadata format for sharing various types of data is supported by its structured and hierarchical nature, which makes it versatile and widely adopted in data interchange. XML (Extensible Markup Language) is designed to be both human-readable and machine-readable, allowing for complex data structures and nested information. This capability is particularly useful in geospatial contexts, where metadata often includes multiple attributes and relationships.

XML is also platform-independent, enabling data sharing across different systems and applications without compatibility issues. Its extensibility allows users to define their own tags, which means that it can be tailored to suit specific domains or applications, including geographic information systems (GIS). Furthermore, many standards, such as ISO 19115 for geographic information metadata, are based on XML, reinforcing its role in the geospatial community.

While other formats like JSON and CSV serve important purposes, they do not offer the same level of metadata structure and standardization that XML does in sharing diverse types of data. JSON, although widely used for web APIs and lightweight data interchange, is not as robust for detailed metadata representation. CSV, being simple and effective for tabular data, lacks the hierarchical structure that XML provides, which is essential for complex datasets often encountered in GIS. HTML is mainly