Public Sector · Schema
PublicSectorDataset
A government-published dataset record. Aligns with the DCAT-US 1.1 metadata schema used by data.gov and the schema.org/Dataset profile. Designed to round-trip with CKAN packages returned from catalog.data.gov/api/3/action/package_show and with SODA dataset metadata from Socrata.
Public SectorGovernmentFederalStateLocalCivic TechOpen DataRegulationsProcurementOpen GovernmentTopic
Properties
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| identifier | string | Stable identifier — preferably a URI or a UUID minted by the publisher. CKAN datasets expose an 'id' (UUID) and a 'name' (slug); use the UUID. |
| title | string | Human-readable dataset title. |
| description | string | Free-text description of the dataset's contents, scope, and intended use. |
| keyword | array | Tags / keywords describing the dataset. |
| modified | string | Most recent date the dataset was modified, RFC 3339. |
| issued | string | Date the dataset was first published. |
| publisher | object | Agency that published the dataset. |
| contactPoint | object | Contact for the dataset (dataset steward). |
| accessLevel | string | DCAT-US access level. |
| rights | string | Free-text explanation of rights and restrictions when accessLevel is not 'public'. |
| license | string | License URI (e.g. https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/, https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/, U.S. federal public domain). |
| theme | array | Thematic categories (e.g. 'Public Safety', 'Transportation', 'Health', 'Climate', 'Education'). |
| spatial | string | Geographic coverage. May be a bounding box, a placename, an OCD-ID, or a GeoJSON geometry serialized as a string. |
| temporal | string | Temporal coverage as an ISO 8601 interval (e.g. '2010-01-01/2025-12-31'). |
| accrualPeriodicity | string | ISO 8601 duration or DCAT frequency code (e.g. 'R/P1D' for daily, 'R/P1Y' for annual). |
| landingPage | string | Human-readable HTML landing page for the dataset. |
| distribution | array | Concrete distributions (downloads, API endpoints). |
| language | array | BCP 47 language tags. |
| bureauCode | array | OMB Circular A-11 bureau code (federal only). |
| programCode | array | OMB Federal Program Inventory code. |
JSON Schema
{
"$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
"$id": "https://api-evangelist.github.io/public-sector/json-schema/public-sector-dataset-schema.json",
"title": "PublicSectorDataset",
"description": "A government-published dataset record. Aligns with the DCAT-US 1.1 metadata schema used by data.gov and the schema.org/Dataset profile. Designed to round-trip with CKAN packages returned from catalog.data.gov/api/3/action/package_show and with SODA dataset metadata from Socrata.",
"type": "object",
"required": ["identifier", "title", "publisher", "accessLevel", "modified"],
"properties": {
"identifier": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Stable identifier — preferably a URI or a UUID minted by the publisher. CKAN datasets expose an 'id' (UUID) and a 'name' (slug); use the UUID."
},
"title": {
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"description": "Human-readable dataset title."
},
"description": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Free-text description of the dataset's contents, scope, and intended use."
},
"keyword": {
"type": "array",
"items": { "type": "string" },
"description": "Tags / keywords describing the dataset."
},
"modified": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"description": "Most recent date the dataset was modified, RFC 3339."
},
"issued": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"description": "Date the dataset was first published."
},
"publisher": {
"type": "object",
"required": ["name"],
"description": "Agency that published the dataset.",
"properties": {
"name": { "type": "string" },
"url": { "type": "string", "format": "uri" },
"subOrganizationOf": { "type": "string" }
}
},
"contactPoint": {
"type": "object",
"description": "Contact for the dataset (dataset steward).",
"properties": {
"fn": { "type": "string", "description": "Full name." },
"hasEmail": { "type": "string", "description": "mailto: URI." }
}
},
"accessLevel": {
"type": "string",
"enum": ["public", "restricted public", "non-public"],
"description": "DCAT-US access level."
},
"rights": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Free-text explanation of rights and restrictions when accessLevel is not 'public'."
},
"license": {
"type": "string",
"description": "License URI (e.g. https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/, https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/, U.S. federal public domain)."
},
"theme": {
"type": "array",
"items": { "type": "string" },
"description": "Thematic categories (e.g. 'Public Safety', 'Transportation', 'Health', 'Climate', 'Education')."
},
"spatial": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Geographic coverage. May be a bounding box, a placename, an OCD-ID, or a GeoJSON geometry serialized as a string."
},
"temporal": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Temporal coverage as an ISO 8601 interval (e.g. '2010-01-01/2025-12-31')."
},
"accrualPeriodicity": {
"type": "string",
"description": "ISO 8601 duration or DCAT frequency code (e.g. 'R/P1D' for daily, 'R/P1Y' for annual)."
},
"landingPage": {
"type": "string",
"format": "uri",
"description": "Human-readable HTML landing page for the dataset."
},
"distribution": {
"type": "array",
"description": "Concrete distributions (downloads, API endpoints).",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"required": ["mediaType"],
"properties": {
"title": { "type": "string" },
"description": { "type": "string" },
"mediaType": {
"type": "string",
"description": "IANA media type (text/csv, application/json, application/geo+json, application/vnd.ms-excel, application/zip, application/x-shapefile, application/xml)."
},
"format": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Short format label (CSV, JSON, GeoJSON, Shapefile, XLSX, ZIP, XML, SODA, REST)."
},
"downloadURL": { "type": "string", "format": "uri" },
"accessURL": { "type": "string", "format": "uri" },
"byteSize": { "type": "integer", "minimum": 0 },
"describedBy": {
"type": "string",
"format": "uri",
"description": "URL of a JSON Schema or data dictionary for this distribution."
},
"describedByType": { "type": "string" },
"conformsTo": {
"type": "string",
"format": "uri",
"description": "Standard or profile the distribution conforms to (e.g. GTFS, NIEM, FHIR)."
}
}
}
},
"language": {
"type": "array",
"items": { "type": "string" },
"description": "BCP 47 language tags."
},
"bureauCode": {
"type": "array",
"items": { "type": "string" },
"description": "OMB Circular A-11 bureau code (federal only)."
},
"programCode": {
"type": "array",
"items": { "type": "string" },
"description": "OMB Federal Program Inventory code."
}
},
"additionalProperties": true
}