DCAT-US 3.0: Distribution

Information about a distribution, including access methods, formats, licenses, restrictions, and quality details.

A specific representation of a dataset, such as a file, feed, or API response

Type object
Additional properties Any type allowed

Example:

{
    "@type": "Distribution",
    "title": "Climate Data CSV",
    "description": "Daily climate observations in CSV format.",
    "accessURL": "https://example.gov/data/climate",
    "downloadURL": "https://example.gov/downloads/climate-2024.csv",
    "mediaType": "text/csv",
    "format": "CSV",
    "byteSize": "52428800",
    "license": "https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/",
    "modified": "2024-06-01",
    "rights": [
        "No rights reserved. This data is in the public domain."
    ],
    "describedBy": {
        "@type": "Standard",
        "title": "CSV Data Dictionary",
        "accessURL": "https://example.gov/data/climate/dictionary"
    },
    "accessRestriction": null,
    "cuiRestriction": null,
    "useRestriction": null
}
Property Type Requirement Level Title/Description
@id string Optional  
@type string Optional  
representationTechnique More than one type Optional Method or schema used to structure the distribution content (for example, CSV convention, XML schema, or spatial representation type)
status More than one type Optional The status of the distribution in the context of maturity lifecycle
characterEncoding More than one type Optional List of character encodings used in the Distribution, using IANA character set names (for example, UTF-8)
accessService null or array of DataService classes Optional A data service that gives access to the distribution of the dataset
accessURL More than one type Recommended URL for indirect access to the Distribution (for example, a landing page, API docs, or request form), not a direct file download
byteSize null or string Optional The size of a Distribution in bytes
compressFormat null or string Optional The format of the file in which the data is contained in a compressed form, e.g. to reduce the size of the downloadable file
downloadURL More than one type Optional Direct URL to a downloadable file for the Distribution; use accessURL for indirect access
mediaType null or string Optional MIME type of the Distribution (for example, text/csv or application/json), from the IANA media types registry: https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/media-types.xhtml
packageFormat null or string Optional The format of the file in which one or more data files are grouped together, e.g. to enable a set of related files to be downloaded together
spatialResolutionInMeters null or string Optional The minimum spatial separation resolvable in a dataset distribution, measured in meters
temporalResolution null or string Optional The minimum time period resolvable in the dataset distribution
availability More than one type Optional An indication how long it is planned to keep the Distribution of the Dataset available
accessRestriction null or array of AccessRestriction classes Recommended List of access restrictions related to the distribution
cuiRestriction More than one type Recommended Controlled Unclassified Information restriction related to the distribution
describedBy More than one type Recommended A distribution containing the Data Dictionary for this distribution
useRestriction null or array of UseRestriction classes Recommended Use restriction related to the distribution
accessRights More than one type Optional Information about whether the distribution is publicly accessible, restricted, or not public
conformsTo null or array of Standard classes Optional List of standards, schemas, or reference systems the Distribution follows (prefer stable URIs when available)
description null or string Recommended Plain-language summary of the distribution
format null or string Recommended A human-readable description of the file format of the Distribution that provides useful information that might not be apparent from mediaType
identifier More than one type Optional The unique identifier for the Distribution (e.g. DOI, ISBN)
otherIdentifier null or array of Identifier classes Optional A list of identifiers for the Distribution besides the main identifier, e.g. the URI or other unique identifiers in the context of the Catalog
issued More than one type Optional The date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the Distribution
language More than one type Optional ISO 639-1 language code values used in the distribution metadata text, such as en or es, full list can be seen at https://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/iso639-1.html
license More than one type Recommended License that governs how the distribution can be used or reused
modified More than one type Recommended The most recent date on which the Distribution was changed or modified
rights null or array of string Recommended Rights statements not already covered by license or accessRights, such as copyright or policy restrictions
title null or string Recommended Human-readable title of the distribution
hasQualityMeasurement null or array of QualityMeasurement classes Optional Quality measurements for the distribution (for example, completeness, accuracy, or timeliness)
page null or array of Document classes Optional A page or document about this Distribution
image More than one type Optional A link to a thumbnail picture illustrating the content of the distribution
checksum More than one type Optional Checksum used to verify that the downloadable file content has not changed

Distribution > @id #

Requirement: Optional

Type string
Format iri

Example:

"https://example.gov/distributions/climate-data-csv-001"

Distribution > @type #

Requirement: Optional

Type string
Default "Distribution"

Distribution > representationTechnique #

Requirement: Optional

Method or schema used to structure the distribution content (for example, CSV convention, XML schema, or spatial representation type)

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Any of
Null allowed when not required
Concept

Distribution > representationTechnique > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > representationTechnique > anyOf > Concept #

inline description of Concept

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Defined in Concept

Distribution > status #

Title: lifecycle status

Requirement: Optional

The status of the distribution in the context of maturity lifecycle

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Any of
Null allowed when not required
Concept

Distribution > status > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > status > anyOf > Concept #

inline description of Concept

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Same definition as Concept

Distribution > characterEncoding #

Requirement: Optional

List of character encodings used in the Distribution, using IANA character set names (for example, UTF-8)

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed

Example:

[
    "UTF-8"
]
Any of
Null allowed when not required
List of encodings

Distribution > characterEncoding > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > characterEncoding > anyOf > List of encodings #

| Type | array of string | | ——– | ————— |

Each item of this array must be Description
Character encoding -

Character encoding #

| Type | string | | ——– | ——– |

Distribution > accessService #

Requirement: Optional

A data service that gives access to the distribution of the dataset

| Type | null or array of DataService classes | | ——– | —————————————————————————- |

Each item of this array must be Description
DataService A service that provides access to data or data processing functions

Distribution > accessURL #

Requirement: Recommended

URL for indirect access to the Distribution (for example, a landing page, API docs, or request form), not a direct file download

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed

Examples:

"https://example.gov/data/climate"

"https://example.gov/data/climate/access"
Any of
Null allowed when not required
URL

Distribution > accessURL > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > accessURL > anyOf > URL #

reference iri of Resource

Type string
Format iri

Distribution > byteSize #

Requirement: Optional

The size of a Distribution in bytes

| Type | null or string | | ——– | —————- |

Example:

"52428800"

Distribution > compressFormat #

Title: compression format

Requirement: Optional

The format of the file in which the data is contained in a compressed form, e.g. to reduce the size of the downloadable file

| Type | null or string | | ——– | —————- |

Example:

"application/gzip"

Distribution > downloadURL #

Requirement: Optional

Direct URL to a downloadable file for the Distribution; use accessURL for indirect access

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed

Example:

"https://example.gov/data/climate/climate-data-2023.csv"
Any of
Null allowed when not required
URL

Distribution > downloadURL > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > downloadURL > anyOf > URL #

reference iri of Resource

Type string
Format iri

Distribution > mediaType #

Requirement: Optional

MIME type of the Distribution (for example, text/csv or application/json), from the IANA media types registry: https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/media-types.xhtml

| Type | null or string | | ——– | —————- |

Example:

"text/csv"

Distribution > packageFormat #

Title: packaging format

Requirement: Optional

The format of the file in which one or more data files are grouped together, e.g. to enable a set of related files to be downloaded together

| Type | null or string | | ——– | —————- |

Example:

"application/zip"

Distribution > spatialResolutionInMeters #

Title: Spatial resolution (meters)

Requirement: Optional

The minimum spatial separation resolvable in a dataset distribution, measured in meters

| Type | null or string | | ——– | —————- |

Example:

"1000"

Distribution > temporalResolution #

Title: termporal resolution

Requirement: Optional

The minimum time period resolvable in the dataset distribution

| Type | null or string | | ——– | —————- |

Example:

"P1D"

Distribution > availability #

Requirement: Optional

An indication how long it is planned to keep the Distribution of the Dataset available

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Any of
Null allowed when not required
Concept

Distribution > availability > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > availability > anyOf > Concept #

inline description of Concept

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Same definition as Concept

Distribution > accessRestriction #

Requirement: Recommended

List of access restrictions related to the distribution

| Type | null or array of AccessRestriction classes | | ——– | ————————————————————————————————– |

Each item of this array must be Description
AccessRestriction Rules or indicators that describe who can access a resource

Distribution > cuiRestriction #

Requirement: Recommended

Controlled Unclassified Information restriction related to the distribution

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Any of
Null allowed when not required
CUIRestriction

Distribution > cuiRestriction > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > cuiRestriction > anyOf > CUIRestriction #

inline description of CUIRestriction

Type object
Additional properties Any type allowed
Same definition as CUIRestriction

Distribution > describedBy #

Title: data dictionary

Requirement: Recommended

A distribution containing the Data Dictionary for this distribution

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Any of
Null allowed when not required
Distribution

Distribution > describedBy > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > describedBy > anyOf > Distribution #

inline description of the data dictionary

Type object
Additional properties Any type allowed
Same definition as Distribution

See Also: (related supporting classes)

Distribution > useRestriction #

Requirement: Recommended

Use restriction related to the distribution

| Type | null or array of UseRestriction classes | | ——– | ——————————————————————————————– |

Each item of this array must be Description
UseRestriction Rules or legal limits on how a resource may be used

Distribution > accessRights #

Requirement: Optional

Information about whether the distribution is publicly accessible, restricted, or not public

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed

Example:

"Public access without restrictions"
Any of
Null allowed when not required
item 1

Distribution > accessRights > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > accessRights > anyOf > item 1 #

Text description of the access rights

| Type | string | | ——– | ——– |

Distribution > conformsTo #

Title: linked schemas

Requirement: Optional

List of standards, schemas, or reference systems the Distribution follows (prefer stable URIs when available)

| Type | null or array of Standard classes | | ——– | ——————————————————————— |

Each item of this array must be Description
Standard A standard or specification that another resource conforms to

Distribution > description #

Requirement: Recommended

Plain-language summary of the distribution

| Type | null or string | | ——– | —————- |

Examples:

"Daily climate observations in CSV format."

"A CSV file containing historical climate data including daily temperature and precipitation readings."

Distribution > format #

Requirement: Recommended

A human-readable description of the file format of the Distribution that provides useful information that might not be apparent from mediaType

| Type | null or string | | ——– | —————- |

Example:

"CSV"

Distribution > identifier #

Requirement: Optional

The unique identifier for the Distribution (e.g. DOI, ISBN)

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Any of
Null allowed when not required
Identifier

Distribution > identifier > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > identifier > anyOf > Identifier #

inline description of Identifier

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Same definition as Identifier

Distribution > otherIdentifier #

Requirement: Optional

A list of identifiers for the Distribution besides the main identifier, e.g. the URI or other unique identifiers in the context of the Catalog

| Type | null or array of Identifier classes | | ——– | ———————————————————————————— |

Each item of this array must be Description
Identifier A unique identifier and optionally it’s scheme and other relevant information

Distribution > issued #

Title: release date

Requirement: Optional

The date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the Distribution

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed

Examples:

"2023-06-01"

"2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"

"2024"

"2024-01"
Any of
Null allowed when not required
Date string

Distribution > issued > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > issued > anyOf > Date string #

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Any of
item 0
item 1
item 2
item 3

Distribution > issued > anyOf > Date string > anyOf > item 0 #

Type string
Format date-time

Distribution > issued > anyOf > Date string > anyOf > item 1 #

Type string
Format date

Distribution > issued > anyOf > Date string > anyOf > item 2 #

A year in YYYY format

| Type | string | | ——– | ——– |

Restrictions  
Must match regular expression ^[0-9]{4}$ Test

Distribution > issued > anyOf > Date string > anyOf > item 3 #

A year and month in YYYY-MM format

| Type | string | | ——– | ——– |

Restrictions  
Must match regular expression ^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}$ Test

Distribution > language #

Requirement: Optional

ISO 639-1 language code values used in the distribution metadata text, such as en or es, full list can be seen at https://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/iso639-1.html

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed

Examples:

"en"

[
    "en",
    "es"
]
Any of
Null allowed when not required
Language code
List of languages

Distribution > language > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > language > anyOf > Language code #

| Type | string | | ——– | ——– |

Restrictions  
Max length 2

Distribution > language > anyOf > List of languages #

| Type | array of string | | ——– | ————— |

Each item of this array must be Description
Language code -

Language code #

| Type | string | | ——– | ——– |

Restrictions  
Max length 2

Distribution > license #

Requirement: Recommended

License that governs how the distribution can be used or reused

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed

Example:

"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"
Any of
Null allowed when not required
item 1

Distribution > license > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > license > anyOf > item 1 #

Full text of the license

| Type | string | | ——– | ——– |

Distribution > modified #

Title: last modified

Requirement: Recommended

The most recent date on which the Distribution was changed or modified

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed

Examples:

"2024-06-01"

"2024-01-15"

"2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"

"2024"

"2024-01"
Any of
Null allowed when not required
Date string

Distribution > modified > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > modified > anyOf > Date string #

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Any of
item 0
item 1
item 2
item 3

Distribution > modified > anyOf > Date string > anyOf > item 0 #

Type string
Format date-time

Distribution > modified > anyOf > Date string > anyOf > item 1 #

Type string
Format date

Distribution > modified > anyOf > Date string > anyOf > item 2 #

A year in YYYY format

| Type | string | | ——– | ——– |

Restrictions  
Must match regular expression ^[0-9]{4}$ Test

Distribution > modified > anyOf > Date string > anyOf > item 3 #

A year and month in YYYY-MM format

| Type | string | | ——– | ——– |

Restrictions  
Must match regular expression ^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}$ Test

Distribution > rights #

Requirement: Recommended

Rights statements not already covered by license or accessRights, such as copyright or policy restrictions

| Type | null or array of string | | ——– | ———————– |

Examples:

[
    "No rights reserved. This data is in the public domain."
]

[
    "This data is in the public domain and may be used without restriction."
]
Each item of this array must be Description
rights items Full text of a statement of rights

Array Item #

Full text of a statement of rights

| Type | string | | ——– | ——– |

Distribution > title #

Requirement: Recommended

Human-readable title of the distribution

| Type | null or string | | ——– | —————- |

Example:

"Climate Data CSV"

Distribution > hasQualityMeasurement #

Title: quality measurement

Requirement: Optional

Quality measurements for the distribution (for example, completeness, accuracy, or timeliness)

| Type | null or array of QualityMeasurement classes | | ——– | ———————————————————————————————— |

Each item of this array must be Description
QualityMeasurement A measurement of a resource against a specific quality metric

Distribution > page #

Title: documentation

Requirement: Optional

A page or document about this Distribution

| Type | null or array of Document classes | | ——– | ——————————————————————— |

Each item of this array must be Description
Document A publication or other document related to a resource

Distribution > image #

Requirement: Optional

A link to a thumbnail picture illustrating the content of the distribution

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Any of
Null allowed when not required
Link

Distribution > image > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > image > anyOf > Link #

The link to the image

Type string
Format iri

Distribution > checksum #

Requirement: Optional

Checksum used to verify that the downloadable file content has not changed

Type combining
Additional properties Any type allowed
Any of
Null allowed when not required
Checksum

Distribution > checksum > anyOf > Null allowed when not required #

| Type | null | | ——– | —— |

Distribution > checksum > anyOf > Checksum #

inline description of Checksum

Type object
Additional properties Any type allowed
Same definition as Checksum

See Also: (related supporting classes)