The observational, temporal and spatial extent and granularity of the data.
observation-unit-and-granularity
Observation unit and granularity
The population or universe covered, the unit of observation or analysis, the variables measured, and the resolution at which records are expressed.
Questions
- What population or universe does the dataset claim to cover, and is coverage a census, a sample or opportunistic?definition
Expected answer
- Universe statement
- Coverage mode code
- Sampling procedure reference
- What is the unit of observation of one record, and does it differ from the unit of analysis?composition
Expected answer
- Unit of observation term
- Unit of analysis term
- Record count
- Which variables are measured, and by what measurement technique?measurement
Expected answer
- Variable name list
- Measurement technique statement
- Unit of measure per variable
- What spatial and temporal resolution do the records carry, and what is the smallest reportable granularity?constraint
Expected answer
- Spatial resolution value
- Temporal resolution duration
- Minimum reportable granularity
Artifacts
- Coverage statementA structured statement of universe, unit, variables and resolution, suitable for publication as a codebook section or as Croissant RecordSet documentation.
temporal-coverage-and-currency
Temporal coverage and currency
The period the data describes, the reference date of the content, and the currency of the asset expressed through issued, modified and next-expected-update times.
Questions
- What start and end instants does the data content cover, and is the interval open-ended?temporal
Expected answer
- Coverage start timestamp
- Coverage end timestamp
- Open-ended flag
- What is the reference date of the content, as distinct from the date the metadata was recorded?provenance
Expected answer
- Content reference date
- Metadata record timestamp
- Ingestion timestamp
- When was the dataset last updated and when is the next update expected?state
Expected answer
- Last modified timestamp
- Next expected update timestamp
- Currency status code
- Which time zone or offset applies to the timestamps inside the data, and is it recorded explicitly?constraint
Expected answer
- Offset or time-zone identifier
- Explicit-offset compliance flag
Artifacts
- Temporal coverage recordMachine-readable interval and currency block covering content period, issue, modification and expected update.
spatial-coverage-and-reference-system
Spatial coverage and reference system
Geographic extent, named places, coordinate reference system and spatial resolution, applicable when the data has a location dimension.
Questions
- What geographic extent does the dataset cover, expressed as named places, codes or a bounding geometry?spatial
Expected answer
- Place term URIs
- Bounding geometry
- Geometry encoding
- Which coordinate reference system do the coordinates use, and is it stated by registry identifier?interoperability
Expected answer
- CRS registry identifier
- CRS registry reference
- Axis order statement
- What is the spatial resolution or smallest geographic unit released, and does disclosure control coarsen it?constraint
Expected answer
- Spatial resolution in metres
- Smallest geographic unit
- Coarsening rule reference
- If the dataset has no spatial dimension, is that recorded explicitly rather than left empty?exception
Expected answer
- Not-applicable flag
- Justification note
Artifacts
- Spatial extent recordGeometry or place-code block with an explicit CRS reference, publishable in a geospatial metadata profile.