diff --git a/lib/imc_meta.hpp b/lib/imc_meta.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd2dc31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/imc_meta.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
+
+#ifndef IMCMETA
+#define IMCMETA
+
+//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
+
+namespace imc
+{
+  struct info
+  {
+    // timestamp of measurement
+    std::string timestamp_;
+    bool valid_;
+
+    // device and software
+    std::string origin_;
+  };
+
+  struct abscissa
+  {
+    // name of entity
+    std::string name_;
+
+    // its unit
+    std::string unit_;
+  };
+
+  struct channel
+  {
+    // name of channel
+    std::string name_;
+
+    // unit of channel's measurement entity
+    std::string unit_;
+
+    // datatype of channel
+    imc::datatype daty_;
+
+    // entity measurement depends on, i.e. channel's abscissa (mostly time)
+    abscissa channel_xaxis_;
+  };
+
+}
+
+#endif
+
+//---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
diff --git a/lib/imc_raw.hpp b/lib/imc_raw.hpp
index 9ca0c9d..458a0bf 100644
--- a/lib/imc_raw.hpp
+++ b/lib/imc_raw.hpp
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include "imc_key.hpp"
 #include "imc_block.hpp"
 #include "imc_datatype.hpp"
+#include "imc_meta.hpp"
 
 //---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
 
@@ -26,6 +27,11 @@ namespace imc
     // list of imc-blocks
     std::vector<block> rawblocks_;
 
+    // collect meta-information, channel definition, etc.
+    imc::info imcinfo_;
+    imc::channel imcchannel_;
+    imc::abscissa xaxis_;
+
   public:
 
     // constructor
@@ -127,6 +133,15 @@ namespace imc
       return rawblocks_;
     }
 
+    // collect meta data
+    void parse_meta()
+    {
+
+
+    }
+
+    // parse channel's raw data
+
   };
 
 }