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| 24 Aug 2026 | |
| Press Releases and Statements |
August 24, 2026, Washington, D.C. – The Data Foundation applauds the release of the DCAT-US v3.0 Schema Implementation Guide, a new resource for federal agencies working to meet federal legal requirements to develop and maintain comprehensive data inventories.
An interagency team that included the federal Chief Data Officers Council and the Data.gov team at General Services Administration (GSA) developed the guide after the May 2026 release of DCAT-US v3.0, a new federal metadata standard.
Under the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act — also known as Title II of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 — and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-25-05, agencies must submit standardized metadata of agency data assets to the Federal Data Catalog (Data.gov). The Data Foundation and its Data Coalition community led advocacy that helped enact the OPEN Government Data Act in 2019, and it has continued pushing for and monitoring the law's implementation ever since. For example, the Data Foundation’s 2025 Survey of Federal Chief Data Officers, conducted in collaboration with Deloitte, found the vast majority of federal CDOs had reported taking at least some action since the release of OMB’s M-25-05 in January 2025, with about one third responding “very” to describe their ability to act on the guidance.
“The implementation guide represents an important milestone in realizing the full potential of the OPEN Government Data Act,” said Hyon Kim, a Data Foundation Senior Fellow and a former Program Director of Data.gov at GSA. “The guide provides agencies with a common sense, iterative roadmap for upgrading the metadata describing the federal government’s data to a modern, effective standard that will increase its discovery and use, fulfilling the goals of open, accessible federal data.”
Kim co-authored a blog in July 2026 explaining how an updated federal metadata standard helps a wide range of data users — including businesses, researchers, policymakers, and the general public — find high quality data to inform daily decisions.
The guide outlines the following five-step approach agencies can use to meet the core M-25-05 requirements for developing a comprehensive data inventory and submitting their metadata to Data.gov using the DCAT-US v3.0 schema:
“The federal interagency team that produced the implementation guide has provided a valuable resource that is thoughtful and practical,” said Taka Ariga, Senior Director of Data Policy at the Data Foundation. “The guide goes beyond general policy recommendations to address the nitty-gritty technical details of programming code to further support consistency, interoperability, and effective implementation for different use cases.”
The Data Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that champions the use of open data and evidence-informed public policy to make society better for everyone. As a nonpartisan think tank, we conduct research, collaborative thought leadership, and advocacy programs that advance practical policies for the creation and use of accessible, trustworthy data. Our activities proactively address emerging data-related needs in the country with the goal of devising realistic solutions, accelerating policy coordination, and advancing innovation. The Data Foundation is recognized by Candid Guidestar with the Platinum Seal of Transparency and received 4-Stars from Charity Navigator. To learn more, visit www.datafoundation.org. (LEI: 254900I43CTC59RFW495)
J.B. Wogan, Director of Communications
Phone: (202) 964-1130
Email: media@datafoundation.org
