Appendix A: Sample Dataset Metadata
Standard Dataset Fields
The U.S. federal government has created the Project Open Data metadata schema standard to implement the federal open data policy. The Project Open Data schema is based on the international DCAT metadata schema used by open data programs around the world and has been mapped to many standards. The Project Open Data schema must be preseneted as a JSON file to be ingested by Data.gov. This schema is natively available with many open data portal providers including: Azavea, Esri Open Data, NuCivic's DKAN, OpenGov, and Socrata, and is easily added to CKAN sites with an extension or can be generated on an ad hoc basis with these tools.
| Field | Label | Definition | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title | Human-readable name of the asset. Should be in plain English and include sufficient detail to facilitate search and discovery. | Always |
| description | Description | Human-readable description (e.g., an abstract) with sufficient detail to enable a user to quickly understand whether the asset is of interest. | Always |
| keyword | Tags | Tags (or keywords) help users discover your dataset; please include terms that would be used by technical and non-technical users. | Always |
| modified | Last Update | Most recent date on which the dataset was changed, updated or modified. | Always |
| publisher | Publisher | The publishing entity and optionally their parent organization(s). | Always |
| contactPoint | Contact Name and Email | Contact person's name and email for the asset. | Always |
| identifier | Unique Identifier | A unique identifier for the dataset or API as maintained within an Agency catalog or database. | Always |
| accessLevel | Public Access Level | The degree to which this dataset could be made publicly-available, regardless of whether it has been made available. Choices: public (Data asset is or could be made publicly available to all without restrictions), restricted public (Data asset is available under certain use restrictions), or non-public (Data asset is not available to members of the public). | Always |
| license | License | The license or non-license (i.e. Public Domain) status with which the dataset or API has been published. See Open Licenses for more information. | If-Applicable |
| rights | Rights | This may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. This should also serve as an explanation for the selected “accessLevel” including instructions for how to access a restricted file, if applicable, or explanation for why a “non-public” or “restricted public” data asset is not “public,” if applicable. Text, 255 characters. | If-Applicable |
| spatial | Spatial | The range of spatial applicability of a dataset. Could include a spatial region like a bounding box or a named place. | If-Applicable |
| temporal | Temporal | The range of temporal applicability of a dataset (i.e., a start and end date of applicability for the data). | If-Applicable |
| distribution | Distribution | A container for the array of Distribution objects. See Dataset Distribution Fields below for details. | If-Applicable |
| @type | Metadata Type | IRI for the JSON-LD data type. This should be dcat:Dataset for each Dataset. |
No |
| accrualPeriodicity | Frequency | The frequency with which dataset is published. | No |
| conformsTo | Data Standard | URI used to identify a standardized specification the dataset conforms to. | No |
| describedBy | Data Dictionary | URL to the data dictionary for the dataset. Note that documentation other than a data dictionary can be referenced using Related Documents (references). |
No |
| describedByType | Data Dictionary Type | The machine-readable file format (IANA Media Type also known as MIME Type) of the dataset's Data Dictionary (describedBy). |
No |
| isPartOf | Collection | The collection of which the dataset is a subset. | No |
| issued | Release Date | Date of formal issuance. | No |
| language | Language | The language of the dataset. | No |
| landingPage | Homepage URL | This field is not intended for an agency's homepage (e.g. www.agency.gov), but rather if a dataset has a human-friendly hub or landing page that users can be directed to for all resources tied to the dataset. | No |
| references | Related Documents | Related documents such as technical information about a dataset, developer documentation, etc. | No |
| theme | Category | Main thematic category of the dataset. | No |
Federal Dataset Fields
The U.S. federal requirement also requires the following metadata fields. You should consider requiring local department codes, systems of record, and associated IT spending if helpful for your open data catalog. If you do not have unique governmentwide codes related to these areas, you might consider creating those.
| Field | Label | Definition | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| bureauCodeUSG | Bureau Code | Federal agencies, combined agency and bureau code from OMB Circular A-11, Appendix C (PDF, CSV) in the format of 015:11. |
Always |
| programCodeUSG | Program Code | Federal agencies, list the primary program related to this data asset, from the Federal Program Inventory. Use the format of 015:001. |
Always |
| dataQualityUSG | Data Quality | Whether the dataset meets the agency's Information Quality Guidelines (true/false). | No |
| primaryITInvestmentUIIUSG | Primary IT Investment UII | For linking a dataset with an IT Unique Investment Identifier (UII). | No |
| systemOfRecordsUSG | System of Records | If the system is designated as a system of records under the Privacy Act of 1974, provide the URL to the System of Records Notice related to this dataset. | No |