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Metadata Implementation Working Group

Purpose

  1. To guide the implementation of the Cross-Government Metadata Implementation Approach and adoption of the underlying metadata standards via the Metadata Exchange Model Specification,
  2. To ensure that core/essential metadata is described consistently and available to potential users of data assets within the Government Data Marketplace,
  3. To collaborate in developing guidance and share lessons from implementing data catalogues in conformance with Metadata Management best practice.

Audience and Scope

  • Data professionals in Government Digital and Data functions, such as Data Architects/Modellers, Data Engineers and those in governance roles that broadly map to “Data Owners and Stewards”,
  • People across central/local government, as well as the devolved administrations and the wider public sector, who have a role in owning, developing and/or maintaining metadata for a data asset.

Goal

To ensure metadata within the Government Data Marketplace is sufficient to:

  • FIND: enable discovery of the data asset,
  • USE: facilitate an informed decision by the customer as to whether a data asset is fit for purpose and meets their business need, and
  • ACCESS: enable access to the data by ensuring the request is channelled to the right team(s) and by describing the access requirements and restrictions of the data source.

Desired Outcomes

Through sharing experience, the Working Group aims to enhance the metadata produced across government, and to make it available via the Government Data Catalogue as it develops, and thus improve the discoverability of data assets. We will do this by:

  1. Gaining and sharing knowledge on the implementation of the Metadata Exchange Model Specification, collaborating to tackle any common issues that may arise
  2. Enrich the Metadata Exchange Model Specification based on members’ experience of implementation, and, following adoption of essential components of the specification, develop further aspects of the wider Cross-Government Metadata Implementation Approach to improve Metadata Management capability
  3. Advise on development of a Playbook to support Cross-Government Data Sharing focusing initially on practical guidance to adopt the Metadata Exchange Model Specification
  4. Assisting organisations with the onboarding of their critical data asset metadata into the Government Data Marketplace

Time Commitment

  • Meetings are convened on a monthly basis. Frequency is adjusted according to workslate.
  • Each session is 1 hour, with approximately an additional hour of preparation time required.

Key Deliverables

  • Work through the content of the Metadata Exchange Model Specification to validate and agree core set of attributes essential to support a cross-government data share
  • Identify any extensions to the core DCAT profile which may be required for different use cases, scenarios that organisations may need to cater for specifically, e.g. geospatial, health data sets, etc
  • Feed metadata requirements to the development of the underlying metamodel that will support the delivery of the Government Data Marketplace
  • Contribute to the action plan for metadata for Phase IV of the CDDO Portfolio roadmap

Preparation for initial and subsequent meeting sessions

Members’ are asked to:

  • share their experiences of using DCAT, which elements of the specification they may have already adopted, and any areas that are more challenging to implement.
  • complete in advance of the first meeting a short summary of their position on the above to facilitate this discussion.

In parallel:

  • Members will also be given regular updates on progress of the Government Data Marketplace development.

Governance

  • Output of the WG will be reported through the DQ Hub and DSA Peer Review Group (PRG) as well as the DSA Steering Board (also to be used in case of any escalation being required)
  • Where relevant, an update will also be communicated through existing channels to the:
  • CDO Council
  • Data and Technology Architecture Design Authority (DTADA) and the
  • Government Data Architecture Community (GDAC)

Comms and Collaboration space

  • Meetings are held via MS Teams, with collaboration workspaces in KHub.net and UK Gov Slack