FGDCThe Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata is the United States federal government's foundational standard for documenting geospatial data. Designated FGDC-STD-001-1998 in its current version, it has shaped how federal agencies describe, discover, and share geographic information for over two decades. Though gradually yielding ground to the internationally harmonized ISO 19115 family, CSDGM remains deeply embedded in US government geospatial infrastructure and is supported by all major GIS platforms.
Background
The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) developed the first version of CSDGM in 1994, responding to the need for consistent documentation of the growing volume of digital geospatial data across federal agencies. Executive Order 12906, signed by President Clinton in 1994, mandated that all federal agencies use this standard when documenting geospatial resources they produce or maintain. Version 2 was published in June 1998 as the current and final edition. The standard played a central role in the creation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), enabling cross-agency discovery of geospatial assets through standardized metadata in clearinghouse networks.
Purpose and Scope
CSDGM provides a structured framework for describing digital geospatial datasets. Its scope covers the full lifecycle of geospatial data documentation, organized into seven main sections:
- Identification Information — basic information about the dataset including title, abstract, purpose, time period, and geographic extent
- Data Quality Information — positional and attribute accuracy, logical consistency, completeness, and lineage
- Spatial Data Organization Information — the method used to represent spatial positions (vector, raster, point)
- Spatial Reference Information — coordinate systems, datums, and projections
- Entity and Attribute Information — details about the information content of the dataset
- Distribution Information — how to obtain the data, formats, fees, and ordering instructions
- Metadata Reference Information — information about the metadata record itself
The standard distinguishes between mandatory, mandatory-if-applicable, and optional elements, providing flexibility while ensuring minimum documentation requirements are met.
Profiles and Extensions
CSDGM supports formal customization through profiles and extensions. Extensions add new elements to the base standard for domain-specific needs, while profiles constrain existing elements with controlled vocabularies or additional requirements. Notable examples include:
- Remote Sensing Metadata Extension — additional elements for satellite and aerial imagery
- Biological Data Profile — customizations for biodiversity and ecological datasets
- Shoreline Data Profile — specialized elements for coastal and shoreline datasets
Technical Representations
The standard was originally published as a text document defining element names, definitions, and conditionality rules. Machine-readable representations were subsequently developed:
- XML DTD — the Document Type Declaration for validating CSDGM XML-encoded metadata
- XML Schema (XSD) — schema documents enforcing content requirements for CSDGM XML and associated profiles
- HTML version — the full specification in browsable online format
These representations enable automated validation and integration with GIS software metadata editors.
Tools and Software Support
A robust ecosystem of tools supports CSDGM metadata creation and validation. The USGS maintains several actively supported applications:
- Online Metadata Editor (OME) — a web-based tool that presents the standard as plain-language questions
- Metadata Wizard — an ArcGIS add-on for creating metadata within the desktop GIS environment
- mp (metadata parser) — a command-line validation tool
Most commercial GIS platforms including Esri's ArcGIS, QGIS, and various image processing applications include built-in CSDGM metadata editors and validators.
Governance and Maintenance
CSDGM is maintained by the Federal Geographic Data Committee, an interagency committee organized under the Office of Management and Budget. The FGDC Secretariat is housed at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia. As a US federal standard, it is in the public domain with no licensing restrictions.
Since the publication of version 2 in 1998, no new versions have been released. The FGDC has instead endorsed several ISO geospatial metadata standards — particularly ISO 19115 and its XML implementation ISO 19139 — as the recommended path forward for new implementations. However, no formal deprecation has occurred, and CSDGM continues to be accepted for federal metadata compliance.
Notable Implementations
CSDGM metadata records are the backbone of the US geospatial data clearinghouse system. Major users and repositories include:
- Data.gov — the US federal open data portal
- USGS Science Data Catalog — geoscience datasets documented in CSDGM
- NOAA — oceanographic and atmospheric datasets
- State GIS clearinghouses — most US state geospatial data portals accept or require CSDGM
Related Standards
- ISO 19115 — the international standard for geographic metadata, now endorsed by FGDC as the preferred standard for new implementations
- ISO 19139 — XML Schema implementation of ISO 19115
- Dublin Core — CSDGM includes crosswalks to Dublin Core for interoperability with broader metadata ecosystems