CDMP Fundamentals • 100 Questions • 90 Minutes
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GovStat's Open Data Metadata Standardization

Metadata Management Medium

💼 Scenario

GovStat is a national statistical agency responsible for publishing 500 datasets covering economic, demographic, health, and environmental indicators. A government mandate requires all datasets to be published on an open data portal with standardized metadata to enable citizen access, academic research, and inter-agency data sharing. Currently, each of GovStat's 15 divisions uses different metadata conventions. Some datasets have rich descriptions with methodology documentation, while others have only a title and publication date. International organizations require metadata in specific standards (SDMX for statistical data, Dublin Core for general resources), and researchers frequently complain about the inability to find relevant datasets or understand their methodology. The project must deliver a metadata-compliant open data portal within 12 months, covering all 500 datasets, with ongoing governance processes to maintain metadata quality for new publications. The agency has limited budget and cannot hire dedicated metadata specialists for each division.

Question 1: Which metadata standard should GovStat adopt as its primary framework for the open data portal?

Question 2: Given the limited budget and inability to hire metadata specialists for each division, how should GovStat ensure ongoing metadata quality?

Question 3: How should GovStat handle the transition from the 15 different metadata conventions currently in use?