Metadata of geospatial data is the description of geospatial related data sets and information resource. With Geospatial metadata

geospatial data users can quickly learn about the name

quality

scale

data structure and so on. In particalar geospatial metadata has been extended from a method of data describing and indexing to one of the essential tools which has been involved into the whole internet information procedure

including data finding

converting

managing and using. Geospatial metadata is one part of the core contents of digital earth and geographic information infrastructure. Nowadays

because of the important role bring played by geospatial metadata

it has become a new research topic in geographic information system field. However

the most researches on geospatial metadata is on its standard establishment

management and application. In fact

how to express geospatial metadata is the base of its standard and management. The authors analyze the current situation and the obstruction faced with on metadata research procedure

and point out the limitation existed on how to express geospatial metadata structure and syntax. This paper has made a study on how to express geospatial metadata and its standardization. The authors present a new metadata expression idea based on resource description framework （RDF）

a kind of application language of extensible mark up language （XML）. This paper also give an example based on FGDC metadata standard

at the same time

get a new method of geospatial metadata expression based on XML/RDF. The new expression method with XML can realize the integration of metadata

and while expressing geospatial metadata with RDF resolve the syntax problem of metadata expression. At the end

the paper shows the vital functions and the managing methods of geospatial metadata expression based on RDF.