DCAT-US Schema v3.0 DatasetSeries fields

Overview

Field-level reference for the DCAT-US v3.0 DatasetSeries class. DatasetSeries is new in v3.0 and groups related datasets published over time or across versions under a single series record.

Source

data.gov

Category

Keywords

DCAT,

Details

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Overview

New in v3.0. DatasetSeries groups related datasets that are published in an ordered sequence — such as annual budget data, recurring survey releases, or versioned reference datasets — under a single series record. The series record describes the collection as a whole. Each edition within the series is its own Dataset record that points back to the series using the Dataset’s inSeries field. DatasetSeries is a subclass of Dataset. This means a DatasetSeries record can be included directly in the dataset array of a Catalog alongside individual Dataset records. Required fields in v3.0: title, description Important date distinctions: issued is the date the series was established — not the publication date of the oldest dataset in the series. modified is the date the series description changed — not the modified date of the newest dataset. Keep these distinct from the issued and modified fields on the individual Dataset records within the series. —

Core fields

Field Required Type Description
title Mandatory string A human-readable name for the series. Example: "Federal IT Dashboard Annual Data"
description Mandatory string A human-readable description of the series — what it covers, how often it is published, and what each edition contains. Example: "Annual releases of federal IT investment data from the IT Dashboard, published each fiscal year."
publisher Recommended Agent object The organization responsible for maintaining the series as a coherent collection. May differ from the publishers of individual datasets within the series. References the Agent class.

Example: {"name": "Office of the Chief Information Officer"}
contactPoint Recommended array of Kind objects Contact information for questions about the series as a whole. References the Kind class. Example: [{"fn": "IT Dashboard Team", "hasEmail": "mailto:itdashboard@agency.gov"}]
accrualPeriodicity Optional string The frequency at which new editions of the series are published. Accepts plain-language codes (e.g., "annually", "quarterly", "monthly"), ISO 8601 repeating duration format (e.g., "R/P1Y"), or Dublin Core frequency vocabulary terms. Plain-language codes are preferred.

Example: "annually"
issued Optional string (ISO 8601) The date the series was formally established — not the publication date of the oldest dataset in the series. Accepts date, datetime, year (YYYY), or year-month (YYYY-MM).

Example: "2010-01-01"
modified Recommended string (ISO 8601) The most recent date the series description or metadata changed — not the modified date of the newest dataset in the series. Accepts date, datetime, year (YYYY), or year-month (YYYY-MM).

Example: "2024-12-01"

Series structure

Field Required Type Description
first Recommended Dataset object The first Dataset in the series — the earliest or founding edition. Providing first and last together gives users a quick sense of the series' temporal span without needing to retrieve all members.

The Dataset object must include at minimum title, description, identifier, publisher, and contactPoint.
last Recommended Dataset object The most recent or final Dataset in the series. Update this field whenever a new edition is published.

The Dataset object must include at minimum title, description, identifier, publisher, and contactPoint.
seriesMember Recommended array of Dataset objects The Dataset records that are members of this series. You do not need to list every member here — it is sufficient for each individual Dataset to reference the series via its own inSeries field. However listing key members here improves discoverability and allows catalog browsers to navigate between editions directly.

Each Dataset object must include at minimum title, description, identifier, publisher, and contactPoint.

Coverage

Field Required Type Description
spatial Recommended array of Location objects Geographic region(s) covered by the series as a whole. References the Location class.

Example: [{"@type": "Location", "prefLabel": "United States"}]
temporal Recommended array of PeriodOfTime objects Temporal coverage of the series as a whole — typically from the first edition to the most recent. References the PeriodOfTime class. Update endDate whenever a new edition is published, or omit it for an ongoing series.

Ongoing series: [{"@type": "PeriodOfTime", "startDate": "2010-01-01"}]

Completed series: [{"@type": "PeriodOfTime", "startDate": "2010-01-01", "endDate": "2024-12-31"}]

In each Dataset record that belongs to the series, use the inSeries field to reference the series. inSeries is an array of DatasetSeries objects — include at minimum the series @id so the link can be resolved.

{
  "@type": "Dataset",
  "title": "Federal IT Dashboard Annual Data - FY2024",
  "description": "Federal IT investment data for fiscal year 2024.",
  "identifier": "https://www.agency.gov/data/it-dashboard-fy2024",
  "publisher": {"name": "Office of the Chief Information Officer"},
  "contactPoint": {"fn": "IT Dashboard Team", "hasEmail": "mailto:itdashboard@agency.gov"},
  "inSeries": [
    {
      "@id": "https://www.agency.gov/data/it-dashboard-series",
      "@type": "DatasetSeries",
      "title": "Federal IT Dashboard Annual Data"
    }
  ]
}

Example

A minimal DatasetSeries record meeting all v3.0 required fields:

{
  "@type": "DatasetSeries",
  "title": "Federal IT Dashboard Annual Data",
  "description": "Annual releases of federal IT investment data from the IT Dashboard, published each fiscal year."
}

A more complete record showing recommended fields:

{
  "@type": "DatasetSeries",
  "@id": "https://www.agency.gov/data/it-dashboard-series",
  "title": "Federal IT Dashboard Annual Data",
  "description": "Annual releases of federal IT investment data from the IT Dashboard, published each fiscal year. Each edition covers one fiscal year of IT investment activity across all federal agencies.",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Office of the Chief Information Officer",
    "subOrganizationOf": [
      {
        "@type": "Organization",
        "name": "Example Federal Agency"
      }
    ]
  },
  "contactPoint": [
    {
      "@type": "Kind",
      "fn": "IT Dashboard Team",
      "hasEmail": "mailto:itdashboard@agency.gov"
    }
  ],
  "accrualPeriodicity": "annually",
  "issued": "2010-01-01",
  "modified": "2024-12-01",
  "spatial": [
    {
      "@type": "Location",
      "prefLabel": "United States"
    }
  ],
  "temporal": [
    {
      "@type": "PeriodOfTime",
      "startDate": "2010-10-01"
    }
  ],
  "first": {
    "@type": "Dataset",
    "title": "Federal IT Dashboard Annual Data - FY2010",
    "description": "Federal IT investment data for fiscal year 2010.",
    "identifier": "https://www.agency.gov/data/it-dashboard-fy2010",
    "publisher": {"name": "Office of the Chief Information Officer"},
    "contactPoint": {"fn": "IT Dashboard Team", "hasEmail": "mailto:itdashboard@agency.gov"}
  },
  "last": {
    "@type": "Dataset",
    "title": "Federal IT Dashboard Annual Data - FY2024",
    "description": "Federal IT investment data for fiscal year 2024.",
    "identifier": "https://www.agency.gov/data/it-dashboard-fy2024",
    "publisher": {"name": "Office of the Chief Information Officer"},
    "contactPoint": {"fn": "IT Dashboard Team", "hasEmail": "mailto:itdashboard@agency.gov"}
  },
  "seriesMember": [
    {
      "@type": "Dataset",
      "title": "Federal IT Dashboard Annual Data - FY2022",
      "description": "Federal IT investment data for fiscal year 2022.",
      "identifier": "https://www.agency.gov/data/it-dashboard-fy2022",
      "publisher": {"name": "Office of the Chief Information Officer"},
      "contactPoint": {"fn": "IT Dashboard Team", "hasEmail": "mailto:itdashboard@agency.gov"}
    },
    {
      "@type": "Dataset",
      "title": "Federal IT Dashboard Annual Data - FY2023",
      "description": "Federal IT investment data for fiscal year 2023.",
      "identifier": "https://www.agency.gov/data/it-dashboard-fy2023",
      "publisher": {"name": "Office of the Chief Information Officer"},
      "contactPoint": {"fn": "IT Dashboard Team", "hasEmail": "mailto:itdashboard@agency.gov"}
    },
    {
      "@type": "Dataset",
      "title": "Federal IT Dashboard Annual Data - FY2024",
      "description": "Federal IT investment data for fiscal year 2024.",
      "identifier": "https://www.agency.gov/data/it-dashboard-fy2024",
      "publisher": {"name": "Office of the Chief Information Officer"},
      "contactPoint": {"fn": "IT Dashboard Team", "hasEmail": "mailto:itdashboard@agency.gov"}
    }
  ]
}

Source: jsonschema/definitions/DatasetSeries.json · Generated reference: jsonschema/docs/DatasetSeries.md