Home
                          Who We Are
                              Organization
                                
                				History
								Policies & Planning
    							
								FGDC Secretariat
                          What We Do
                              ADVANCEMENT OF THE NSDI
                                      Geospatial Data Act

                                      Collaboration & Partnerships

									  Develop Geospatial Shared Services
										Geospatial Platform
											Cloud Computing
											Geospatial InteroperabilityManage Federal Geospatial Resources
										A-16 NGDA Portfolio Management
											Geospatial Platform Marketplace
									  Standards Development
									  Geospatial Metadata

                          Initiatives
                              Current
                                        NSDI Strategic Plan 2021-2024
                    						Geospatial Platform Shared Services
            								NGDA Management Plan
            								Open Water Data Initiative
                                            National Address Database
                                            GeoPathways
                                            Disaster Risk ResilienceEmerging Topics
			                            Geolocation Privacy
											Crowdsourcing								
                                            Education & Workforce Development
                                            New Geodetic DatumsPast Activities
			                            Cooperative Agreements Program
                                            
											Fifty States Initiative
                                            Geospatial Line of Business
											SmartBUY
                          
                          Organization
                            Overview
								Steering Committee
								Executive Committee
								National Geospatial Advisory Committee
								Coordination Group
								Working Groups
								Subcommittees
								FGDC Secretariat
								Collaborating Partners
								Membership Directory
                          Resources
                            Key Publications
    							Download Geospatial Standards
								Policies & Planning
                                Lexicon of Geospatial Terminology
								
								
                                FGDC Geospatial Services Status Checker            
								News
                                
								Calendar
								Media Resources Geospatial Metadata Home
    Geospatial Metadata Metadata is information about data. Similar to a library catalog record, metadata records document the who, what, when, where, how, and why of a data resource. Geospatial metadata describes maps, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) files, imagery, and other location-based data resources. The FGDC is tasked by Executive Order 12906 to enable access (see GeoPlatform.gov) to National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) resources and by OMB Circular A-16 and the A-16 Supplemental Guidance to support the creation, management, and maintenance of the metadata required to fuel data discovery and access.
ABOUT GEOSPATIAL METADATA
The basics of metadata
Geospatial Metadata Fact Sheet (pdf)
Business Case for Metadata
Value of Metadata (pdf, ppt)
What is Metadata (pdf, ppt)
GEOSPATIAL METADATA OUTREACH
Metadata community and events
FGDC ISO Geospatial Metadata Summit (2017)
ISO Geospatial Metadata Implementation Forum (Monthly)
FGDC Metadata Working Group (MWG)
International Geospatial Metadata Listserver
ISO Metadata Implementation Webinar (2013)
FGDC Metadata Summit (2011)
Geospatial metadata standards and Guidelines
Specifications for formatting and populating your metadata
Geospatial Metadata Standards: ISO 191** metadata series and FGDC CSDGM
Selecting A Geospatial Metadata Standard
FGDC Technical Guidance: Data.gov and The GeoPlatform Metadata Recommendations Including Guidelines for National Geospatial Data Assets (NGDA) (pdf), updated December 6, 2022  – This document provides best practices only and is not intended as policy that agencies must comply with, or for audit purposes.
LEARNING RESOURCES
Guidance documents, lessons, and more
Geospatial Metadata Learning Resources, Guidance and Examples
Geospatial Metadata Core Curriculum
TOOLS
Tools to create, validate, and publish metadata
CSDGM Metadata Tools
ISO Metadata Tools
Publish Metadata via GeoPlatform / Data.gov

QUICK LINKS
ISO Geospatial Metadata Editor Registry
ISO Suite of Standards
FGDC Technical Guidance: Data.gov and The GeoPlatform Metadata Recommendations Including Guidelines for National Geospatial Data Assets (NGDA) (2022)(pdf)
FGDC Metadata Working Group (MWG)
ISO Geospatial Metadata Implementation Forum Contact Us
                                **Office:**
                                        12201 Sunrise Valley Dr.
                                        MS 590 Reston, VA 20192
                                    **Fax:** (+1) 703
                                    648 5755**Email:**
                                    fgdc@fgdc.gov
                    **Subscribe** to Our Mailing List
                            for Important News & Updates
                            
                            Subscribe
                        **Like
                                    us**
                                **Follow
                                    us**
                                **RSS**
            The Federal Geographic Data Committee.Policies & Notices / USA.gov
                            Download Adobe Reader /
                            Download Office Viewers