Metadata
ODP metadata exists at several levels:
Organise datasets: title/description, provider, dataset links
└─ Dataset(s)
Describe a dataset: attribution, coverage, access, publication
├─ File(s)
Filename, size, media type, timestamps, coverage
└─ Table
Schema, size, row/column counts, coverage
└─ Column(s)
Name/type/description, derived profiling
ODP metadata also comes from two sources:
- User-managed: what is entered explicitly — titles, descriptions, tags, licenses and roles.
- System-generated: what ODP derives from the data or from user actions — profiling statistics, geometry extent, file sizes, update log, and publish status.
Dataset metadata
| Field | Description | Source | DCAT mapping |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | Canonical UUID for the dataset. | System | dct:identifier |
| title | Human-readable name of the dataset. | User | dct:title |
| description | Main narrative description of the dataset. | User | dct:description |
| tags | Keywords to support search and navigation. | User | dcat:keyword |
| provider | Primary source or organisation responsible for the data. | User | dct:creator |
| maintainer | Party responsible for ongoing care of the dataset on ODP. | User | — |
| license | Terms under which the dataset may be used. | User | dct:license |
| citation | Recommended citation text with optional link or DOI. | User | dct:bibliographicCitation |
| DOI | Persistent identifier for an original or ODP-published dataset. | Mixed | — |
| documentation links | Links to supporting documentation or related materials. | User | foaf:page / dcat:landingPage |
| geographical coverage | Spatial extent of the dataset, used for search filtering and display. | User | dct:spatial |
| temporal coverage | Time period represented by the dataset. | User | dct:temporal |
| additional info | Non-standard key-value metadata for dataset-specific context. | User | — |
| publish status | Lifecycle state: draft, in review, published, or archived. | System | — |
| visibility | Public or private access state. | System | dct:accessRights |
| published_at | Timestamp when the dataset was published. | System | dct:issued |
| created_at | Timestamp when the dataset record was created. | System | dct:created |
| updated_at | Timestamp of the most recent update. | System | dct:modified |
Collection metadata
| Field | Description | Source | DCAT mapping |
|---|---|---|---|
| id | Canonical UUID for the collection. | System | dct:identifier |
| title | Human-readable collection title. | User | dct:title |
| description | Description of the grouped body of work. | User | dct:description |
| datasets | Member datasets that belong to this collection. | Mixed | dcat:dataset |
File metadata
Files and tables have no meaningful DCAT equivalents — they are internal technical metadata.
| Field | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| id | Internal identifier for the uploaded file. | System |
| name | Filename shown in dataset views. | System |
| size | File size in bytes. | System |
| created | Timestamp when the file was uploaded to ODP. | System |
| updated | Timestamp of the most recent file update in ODP. | System |
| mimetype | MIME type of the file. | Mixed |
| geometry | Spatial extent or geometry associated with the file. | Mixed |
| properties | Arbitrary key-value metadata at the file level. | User |
Table and column metadata
| Field | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| schema | Schema object representing the table structure and column definitions. | System |
| name | Column identifier in the table schema. | Mixed |
| description | User-provided description of the column's meaning. | User |
| class | Semantic type (geometry, latitude, longitude, etc.) that enables spatial ODP features. | Mixed |
| index | Partitioning or indexing hint for improved query performance. | Mixed |
| ingest_name | Original field name from the source file before ingestion. | System |
| profiling statistics | System-derived statistics: top values, ranges, histograms, and spatial extents. | System |