Property: theme
Topic
A controlled term that expresses the broad topical content of an information resource.
Subject
A controlled term that expresses a topic of the intellectual content of an information resource.
URI: dcat:theme
Obligation and Cardinality
The table below details the classes which use this property and the conditions of its use.
| Class | Range | Obligation | Cardinality |
|---|---|---|---|
| CataloguedResource | Uriorcurie | Recommended | Many |
| DataService | Uriorcurie | Recommended | Many |
| Dataset | Uriorcurie | Recommended | Many |
Usage Notes
Purpose
Subject
Assigning subjects enables users to find resources on the same topic consistently and efficiently. Using a controlled vocabulary external to the catalogue allows users to find related resources across jurisdictions and catalogues. These vocabularies also generally allow for more precise description of the subject matter of a resource than is possible with the TOPIC element.
Topic
Enables users to find resources on the same topic consistently and efficiently, and provides access to related resources across the Government Data Catalogue and the Data Marketplace.
Do not confuse with
Subject
-
TOPIC: provides a higher-level subject description of the content of a resource using a controlled vocabulary developed or adopted for the catalogue .
-
description: a concise narrative of the content of the resource. -
keyword: uncontrolled words or phrases assigned to the resource to assist discovery and retrieval. -
TYPE: the business structure of the content of a resource, e.g. fact sheet, policy, report, guide, statistics.
Topic
-
description: a concise narrative of the content of the resource. -
keyword: uncontrolled words or phrases assigned to the resource to assist discovery and retrieval. -
SPATIAL COVERAGE: the geographical area or spatial extent covered by the content of a resource.
-
SUBJECT: a term taken from an external controlled vocabulary which generally describes a resource at a more specific level.
-
TEMPORAL COVERAGE: the time frame covered by the content of the resource.
-
TYPE: the business structure of the content of a resource, e.g. fact sheet, policy, report, guide, statistics.
Guidelines
Subject
A SUBJECT describes what a resource is "about". For example:
-
"Maps" is a subject value if a resource is about map-making, but not if it "is" a map;
-
"Claims" is a subject value if a resource is about making claims, but not if it "is' a claim.
SUBJECT is a container element with two sub-elements. Metadata values are contained in the sub-elements.
Each SUBJECT element has two mandatory sub-elements:
-
Subject vocabulary: The controlled vocabulary being used to describe the information resource. This will be chosen from a menu. If the controlled vocabulary you wish is not available, contact the Government Data Catalogue administrator team to discuss the possibility of adding the vocabulary.
-
Subject term: The unique subject term chose from the controlled vocabulary identified in the subject vocabulary field.
Many resources will be "about" more than one topic, so more than one subject will often be assigned to provide multiple access points to a particular resource. Do not assign Subjects to which the resource is only peripherally related.
Topic
TOPICS are chosen from a controlled vocabulary developed or adopted for the Government Data Catalogue. The intent of the vocabulary is to provide a limited list of broad terms that cover all the different subject matter of the information resources contained in the Government Data Catalogue.
A TOPIC describes what a resource is "about". Assign at least one TOPIC to a resource, reflecting the most significant facet of its content. Many resources will be "about" more than one topic, so assign as many TOPICS as applicable to provide substantial value for finding resources about a topic. Do not assign TOPICS to which the resource is only peripherally related.
TODOs
- Remove duplication of subject and topic guidance
- Remove idea of being a container
- Indicate vocabularies to be used
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