CSDGM

CSDGM, or the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, is a metadata standard developed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) in the United States. It provides a structured framework for describing geospatial data and services, with the aim of facilitating discovery, access, fidelity, and interoperability of geospatial information across institutions. A CSDGM metadata record typically describes the dataset across multiple sections, including Identification Information (title, abstract, purpose, data origin, dataset citation), Data Quality Information (positional accuracy, logical consistency, completeness, lineage quality), Spatial Data Organization Information (how the data are organized, e.g., as raster, vector), Spatial Reference Information (coordinate system), Entity and Attribute Information (data structure and attribute definitions), Distribution Information (format, online link, media), Time Period of Content, Keywords, and Access and Use Constraints. Additional sections cover Contact Information, Metadata Date, and Metadata Source.

Implementation uses an XML encoding under the FGDC metadata schema, with a controlled vocabulary and data dictionary for consistency. The standard was widely adopted by U.S. federal agencies and many state and local governments, libraries, and research organizations from the late 1990s through the 2010s. It established a common language for describing datasets, enabling search, data integration, and provenance tracking.

In the 2000s and 2010s, ISO 19115 and related ISO metadata schemas gained international prominence, and many organizations began or completed conversions to ISO-based metadata. Nevertheless, the CSDGM remains in use for legacy datasets and in regions or agencies where FGDC compliance persists.