Regional Metadata Profile

Introduction

The Regional Metadata Profile (RMP) is an initiative of the Open Data Group of the Organization of American States (OAS).

With this metadata profile, the group aims to build a common baseline between countries of the region that can be a reference and ease initiatives that need to implement open data catalogs, re-using common solutions.

Design principles

The RMP was designed following these principles:

• Re-use what already exists: if something was solved by someone else, it is better to use that solution rather than inventing a new one.
• It is better a standard that many use.. rather than a perfect one: solutions that are already broadly used guarantee adoption and a minimum of interoperability.
• Better using a standard.. than none: if there is a use case not covered by any known standard, it is preferable to think a general and re-usable solution, rather than a specific one that can be hard to escalate or interoperate with other systems.

Following this 3 principles as guidelines, the Regional Metadata Profile:

• It is based on european application of DCAT (DCAT-AP). Takes the metadata profile for implementing open data catalogs more broadly used as a baseline, and extends it.
• Follows same extensibility philosophy than DCAT
  • Preserves the use of all mandatory fields.
  • If a non mandatory field is defined in the baseline, it is preferable using that one before creating a new one.
  • Creates new metadata fields, solving use cases not included in DCAT-AP.
• Re-use solutions already in use by countries of the region. Adding additional metadata fields from the previous use experience in other countries.
• Define variable names in English and lowerCamelCase, following DCAT style.