Entity Metadata

The entity metadata object stores optional supplementary details about detected entities, specifically providing standardized resolutions for numeric and temporal data.

This attribute is only populated when extra information is available and may be empty or missing for some entities.

Metadata resolutions convert various entity forms into consistent formats—for example, both "eighty" and "80" resolve to the integer 80. These NER resolutions enable downstream actions, such as extracting date and time entities for integration with a meeting scheduling system.

Note

Support for Entity Metadata is available with API 2023-04-15-preview and later versions. For older API versions, see Entity Resolutions.

Entities with metadata attributes

Entities Entities Entities Entities Entities Entities
Age Area Currency Date Datetime Information
Length Number NumericRange Ordinal Set Speed
Temperature Time Volume Weight

Age

Metadata Type Description
unit string Unit of measurement for age.
value number Numeric value for age. 
"metadata": {
                "unit": "Year",
                "value": 10
            }

Possible values for unit:

  • Day
  • Month
  • Week
  • Year
  • Unspecified

Area

Metadata Type Description
unit string Unit of measurement for area.
value number Numeric value for area. 
"metadata": {
                "unit": "Acre",
                "value": 30
            }

Possible values for unit:

  • Acre
  • SquareCentimeter
  • SquareDecameter
  • SquareDecimeter
  • SquareFoot
  • SquareHectometer
  • SquareInch
  • SquareKilometer
  • SquareMeter
  • SquareMile
  • SquareMillimeter
  • SquareYard
  • Unspecified

Currency

Metadata Type Description
unit string Name of currency.
value number Numeric value for currency.
ISO4217 string The ISO 4217 three-letter currency code uses the first two letters from the country's ISO 3166 code, and, when possible, the third letter is the first letter of the currency name. 
"metadata": {
                "unit": "Egyptian pound",
                "value": 30,
                "ISO4217": "EGP"
            }

Possible values for ISO4217:

Date

Metadata Type Description
timex string The ISO 8601 formatted date: YYYY-MM-DD (year, month, day).
value string The actual denoted date.

Whenever an ambiguous date is provided, you're offered different options for your resolution. For example, "12 April" could refer to any year. Resolution provides this year and the next as options. The timex value XXXX indicates no year was specified in the query.

"metadata": {
                "dateValues": [
                    {
                        "timex": "XXXX-04-12",
                        "value": "2022-04-12"
                    },
                    {
                        "timex": "XXXX-04-12",
                        "value": "2023-04-12"
                    }
                ]
            }

Ambiguity can occur even for a given day of the week. For example, saying "Monday" could refer to last Monday or this Monday. Once again the timex value indicates no year or month was specified, and uses a day of the week identifier (W) to indicate the first day of the week.

"metadata" :{
                "dateValues": [
                    {
                        "timex": "XXXX-WXX-1",
                        "value": "2022-10-03"
                    },
                    {
                        "timex": "XXXX-WXX-1",
                        "value": "2022-10-10"
                    }
                ]
            }

Datetime

Metadata Type Description
timex string The ISO 8601 formatted date and time:
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS(year, month, day, hour, minutes, seconds, milliseconds) with a T separator.
value string The actual denoted date and time.

Similar to dates, you can have ambiguous datetime entities. Resolution provides this year and the next as options. The timex value XXXX indicates no year was specified.

"metadata": {
                 "dateValues": [
                       {
                           "timex": "XXXX-05-03T12",
                           "value": "2022-05-03 12:00:00"
                       },
                       {
                           "timex": "XXXX-05-03T12",
                           "value": "2023-05-03 12:00:00"
                       }
                  ]
              }

Information

Metadata Type Description
unit string Unit of measurement for information (data).
value number Numeric value for information. 

"metadata": {
                "unit": "Kilobit",
                "value": 30
            }

Possible values for unit:

  • Bit
  • Byte
  • Gigabit
  • Gigabyte
  • Kilobit
  • Kilobyte
  • Megabit
  • Megabyte
  • Petabit
  • Petabyte
  • Terabit
  • Terabyte
  • Unspecified

Length

Metadata Type Description
unit string Unit of measurement for length
value number Numeric value. 

"metadata": {
                "unit": "Kilobit",
                "value": 30
            }

Possible values for unit:

  • Centimeter
  • Decameter
  • Decimeter
  • Foot
  • Hectometer
  • Inch
  • Kilometer
  • LightYear
  • Meter
  • Micrometer
  • Mile
  • Millimeter
  • Nanometer
  • Picometer
  • Point
  • Yard
  • Unspecified

Number

Metadata Type Description
numberKind string Number type.
value number Numeric value for number. 

"metadata": {
                "numberKind": "Integer",
                "value": 30
            }

Possible values for numberKind:

  • Decimal
  • Fraction
  • Integer
  • Percent
  • Power
  • Unspecified

NumericRange

Metadata Type Description
rangeKind string A supported numeric range.
minimum number The beginning value of the interval.
maximum number The ending value of the interval. 

"metadata": {
                "rangeKind": "length",
                "minimum": 30,
                "maximum": 100
            }

Possible values for rangeKind:

  • Age
  • Area
  • Currency
  • Information
  • Length
  • Number
  • Speed
  • Temperature
  • Volume
  • Weight

Ordinal

Metadata Type Description
offset string The offset with respect to the reference (for example, offset = -1 indicates the second to last)
relativeTo The reference point that the ordinal number denotes.
value number Numeric value for ordinal position. 

"metadata": {
                "offset": -1,
                "relativeTo":"Current",
                "value": "first"
            }

Possible values for relativeTo:

  • Current
  • End
  • Start

Set

A recurring datetime period (example: "every Monday at 6:00 PM.")

Metadata Type Description
timex string The ISO 8601 formatted date and time:
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS(year, month, day, hour, minutes, seconds, milliseconds) with a T separator.
value string Sets don't resolve to exact values, as they don't indicate an exact datetime. 

"metadata": {
                "timex": "XXXX-WXX-1T18",
                "value": "not resolved"
            }

Possible values for type:

  • begin
  • end
  • duration
  • modifier (example: before, after)
  • timex

Speed

Metadata Type Description
unit string Unit of measurement for speed.
value number Numeric value for speed. 

"metadata": {
                "unit": "Knots",
                "value": 50
            }

Possible values for unit:

  • CentimetersPerMillisecond
  • FeetPerMinute
  • FeetPerSecond
  • KilometersPerHour
  • KilometersPerMillisecond
  • KilometersPerMinute
  • KilometersPerSecond
  • Knots
  • MetersPerMillisecond
  • MetersPerSecond
  • MilesPerHour
  • YardsPerMinute
  • YardsPerSecond
  • Unspecified

Temperature

Metadata Type Description
unit string Unit of measurement for temperature.
value number Numeric value. 

"metadata": {
                "unit" "Kelvin",
                "value": 310
            }

Possible values for unit:

  • Celsius
  • Fahrenheit
  • Kelvin
  • Rankine
  • Unspecified

Time

Metadata Type Description
timex string The ISO 8601 formatted date time:
[hh]:[mm]:[ss](hour, minutes, seconds).
value number Numeric value. 

"metadata": {
                "timex":"T14:30:15",
                "value": "14:30:15"
            }

Volume

Metadata Type Description
unit string Unit of measurement for volume.
value number Numeric value for volume. 

"metadata": {
                "unit": "Quart",
                "value": 4
            }

Possible values for unit:

  • Barrel
  • Bushel
  • Centiliter
  • Cord
  • CubicCentimeter
  • CubicFoot
  • CubicInch
  • CubicMeter
  • CubicMile
  • CubicMillimeter
  • CubicYard
  • Cup
  • Decaliter
  • FluidDram
  • FluidOunce
  • Gill
  • Hectoliter
  • Hogshead
  • Liter
  • Milliliter
  • Minim
  • Peck
  • Pinch
  • Pint
  • Quart
  • Tablespoon
  • Teaspoon
  • Unspecified

Weight

Metadata Type Description
unit string Unit of measurement for weight.
value number Numeric value for weight. 

"metadata": {
                "unit": "Ounce",
                "value": 16
            }

Possible values for unit:

  • Dram
  • Gallon
  • Grain
  • Gram
  • Kilogram
  • LongTonBritish
  • MetricTon
  • Milligram
  • Ounce
  • PennyWeight
  • Pound
  • ShortHundredWeightUS
  • ShortTonUS
  • Stone
  • Ton
  • Unspecified

Next steps

Learn how to use NER