Kildedata

Kildedata is a term used in data management to denote a metadata-centric approach to cataloging and governing data assets. The concept combines the idea of source provenance with data description, yielding a metadata layer that sits above data stores and describes their origins, quality, lineage, and access conditions. Kildedata is designed to improve data discoverability, reproducibility, and governance in complex data ecosystems.

The kildedata model centers on a structured metadata schema that records core attributes such as asset identifier, origin, transformations, lineage, quality indicators, retention, ownership, and access constraints. It emphasizes incremental updates and linkability, enabling provenance graphs that connect data assets to processing steps, tools, and users. Interoperability is achieved by mapping the kildedata schema to established standards such as DCAT, PROV-DM, and schema.org.

In practice, kildedata functions as a metadata service layered over data storage platforms. It can be implemented as a graph or JSON-based repository, with APIs that support search, filtering, and provenance queries. Data governance policies are expressed within the kildedata layer, helping organizations enforce permissions, retention schedules, and audit trails.

Adoption scenarios include research repositories, enterprise data lakes, and public data portals, where kildedata supports data discovery, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance. Critics point to potential overhead in maintaining metadata continuity, so successful implementations emphasize automation, standardization, and clear governance roles.

See also: DCAT, PROV-DM, data governance, metadata management.