The CSDGM will continue to have a legacy for many years. However, Federal policy (Circular A-119) directs agencies to use voluntary consensus standards, such as the ISO 19100 series of geospatial metadata standards, in lieu of government unique standards such as the CSDGM. As such, federal agencies are encouraged to transition to the ISO metadata standards ( http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/geospatial-metadata-standards#fgdcendorsedisostandards).
Document number
Maintenance authority
FGDC Secretariat
Objectives
The objectives of the standard are to provide a common set of terminology and definitions for the documentation of digital geospatial data. The standard establishes the names of data elements and compound elements (groups of data elements) to be used for these purposes, the definitions of these compound elements and data elements, and information about the values that are to be provided for the data elements.
Scope
Executive Order 12906, "Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure," was signed on April 11, 1994, by President William Clinton. Section 3, Development of a National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, paragraph (b) states: "Standardized Documentation of Data, ... each agency shall document all new geospatial data it collects or produces, either directly or indirectly, using the standard under development by the FGDC, and make that standardized documentation electronically accessible to the Clearinghouse network." This standard is the data documentation standard referenced in the executive order.
The standard was developed from the perspective of defining the information required by a prospective user to determine the availability of a set of geospatial data, to determine the fitness the set of geospatial data for an intended use, to determine the means of accessing the set of geospatial data, and to successfully transfer the set of geospatial data. As such, the standard establishes the names of data elements and compound elements to be used for these purposes, the definitions of these data elements and compound elements, and information about the values that are to be provided for the data elements. The standard does not specify the means by which this information is organized in a computer system or in a data transfer, nor the means by which this information is transmitted, communicated, or presented to the user.
In addition to use by the Federal Government, the FGDC invites and encourages organizations and persons from State, local, and tribal governments, the private sector, and non-profit organizations to use the standard to document their geospatial data.
Sponsored by
FGDC
Project history
| Document | Version | Date | Custodian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata | 1.0 | 1994 | |
| Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata | 2.0 | 1998 | FGDC Steering Committee |
Schemas
Index of /schemas/metadata (DTD)