Published - DCAT-US Schema 3.0 Implementation Guide

The Federal Chief Data Officers Council (CDOC) is pleased to announce the publication of the DCAT-USv3.0 Schema Implementation Guide(opens in a new tab), an initial resource to help federal agencies implement the DCAT-US v3.0 Schema metadata standard and meet applicable data inventory requirements under the Title II of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 Act, also referred to as the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act, and OMB Memorandum M-25-05(opens in a new tab).

The guide was developed through an interagency tiger team composed of representatives from the CDOC Customer Experience Working Group, U.S. General Services Administration, and stakeholders from across the federal government. The team brought together technical expertise, policy perspectives, and practical implementation experience to develop guidance responsive to the needs of the broader federal data community.

The guide provides practical, best-practice guidance for developing and maintaining agency data inventories and submitting standardized metadata to the Federal Data Catalog at Data.gov(opens in a new tab). It is intended to promote consistency, interoperability, and effective implementation across the federal government. It also helps agencies translate policy and metadata requirements into actionable data management practices.

The CDOC recognizes that implementation will be an iterative process. Several recommendations developed by the interagency tiger team were not included into this initial version because they require additional policy or technical adjustments, further implementation experience, or changes to current systems and platforms. These recommendations have been consolidated and elevated to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and CDOC for future consideration. This publication is intended as an initial implementation guidance and a work in progress, not a final or static playbook.

The CDOC looks forward to learning from agencies as implementation progresses and iterating on this guide as best practices emerge. Future updates will provide an opportunity to incorporate lessons learned, clarify areas of uncertainty, address evolving technical capabilities, and strengthen guidance based on agencies' experiences across government.

The CDOC thanks the Federal Geographic Data Committee, the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy, the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Federal Privacy Council, and data practitioners across the federal government for their contributions and support.

This guide marks the beginning of an ongoing implementation effort. CDOC looks forward to working with agencies and partners across the federal data community to share lessons learned and continuously improve DCAT-US v3.0 implementation guidance.