Property: mediaType
The file format or encoding method of the item (file) being described.
The media type of the distribution as defined by IANA IANA-MEDIA-TYPES.
URI: dcat:mediaType
Obligation and Cardinality
The table below details the classes which use this property and the conditions of its use.
| Class | Range | Obligation | Cardinality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distribution | String Regex pattern: ^application/\S+|^audio/\S+|^font/\S+|^image/\S+|^message/\S+|^model/\S+|^multipart/\S+|^text/\S+|^video/\S+ |
Mandatory | One |
Usage Notes
Purpose
Use of mediaType supports retrieval, as well as control, storage, preservation and access management of resources through time. It can alert users to the existence of requirements for software, hardware or equipment other than a web browser to display, use, or manage a resource.
Do not confuse with
-
AVAILABILITY: used when the described resource is available in print or in another digital format through another government or non-government source.
-
TYPE: describes the business structure of the content of a resource, e.g. fact sheet, policy, report, guide, statistics.
Guidelines
mediaType refers to the encoding method used to store the digital resource and convert it into human-accessible form. The value should be provided as per the Template column provided in the IANA pages. Below are some examples:
-
CSV:
text/csv -
Excel (
.xlsx):application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet -
Geopackage:
application/geopackage+sqlite3 -
HTML:
text/html -
PDF:
application/pdf -
Word (
.docx):application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
A resource with identical or near-identical intellectual content may be available in multiple formats. For example, a resource may be available for download in html, pdf and docx formats. These should be captured as separate distributions of the Dataset with each distribution having a different mediatype value.
Identifier and Mapping Information
Schema Source
- from schema: https://github.com/co-cddo/ukgov-metadata-exchange-model/blob/main/src/model/uk_cross_government_metadata_exchange_model.yaml