ISO/IEC 11179-33:2023

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 11179-33
First edition
2023-01
Information technology — Metadata
registries (MDR) —
Part 33:
Metamodel for data set registration
Technologies de l'information — Registres de métadonnées (RM) —
Partie 33: Métamodèle pour l'enregistrement des ensembles de
données
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2023
© ISO/IEC 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
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© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword . vi
Introduction .vii
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Abbreviated terms . 3
5 Conformance . 4
5.1 Overview of conformance . . 4
5.2 Degree of conformance . 4
5.2.1 General . 4
5.2.2 Strictly conforming implementations . 4
5.2.3 Conforming implementations . 4
5.3 Conformance by feature . 5
5.4 Registry conformance . . 5
5.4.1 Standard registry profiles . 5
5.4.2 Conformance labels . . 5
5.5 Implementation conformance statement (ICS) . 5
5.6 Obligation . 6
6 Relationship to ISO/IEC 11179-3:2023 . 6
6.1 Metamodel for a metadata registry . 6
6.2 Specification of the metamodel . 6
6.3 Use of UML Class diagrams and textual description . 6
6.4 Package dependencies . 7
7 Data_Set package . 8
7.1 Overview of the Data_Set package . 8
7.2 Data_Set metamodel region . 8
7.2.1 Overview of the Data_Set metamodel region . 8
7.2.2 Classes in the Data_Set metamodel region . 8
7.2.3 Associations in the Data_Set metamodel region . 18
7.2.4 Datatypes in the Data_Set metamodel region . 21
Annex A (informative) Consolidated Class Hierarchy .22
Annex B (informative) Examples of data set registration .23
Annex C (informative) A complete view of the concept of “provenance” .30
Bibliography .32
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List of Figures
Figure 1 — Package dependencies . 7
Figure 2 — Data_Set metamodel region .8
Figure A.1 — Consolidated Class Hierarchy .22
Figure B.1 — Registration of the ‘Air Quality’ example data set .26
Figure B.2 — Registration of the full ‘World War II Era Weather Data’ data set .28
Figure B.3 — Registration of the decomposition of the ‘World War II Era Weather Data’ to
show the data for snowfall at weather station16407 on 5 December 1943 .29
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List of Tables
Table 1 — Attributes of the Data_Set class .10
Table 2 — Attributes of the Data_Set_Collection class .12
Table 3 — Attributes of the Data_Set_Distribution class .14
Table 4 — Attributes of the Data_Set_Provenance class .15
Table 5 — Attributes of the Data_Set_Assessment class .16
Table 6 — Attributes of the Data_Set_Specification class .18
Table 7 — Values in the Data_Set_Assessment_Type enumerated class .21
Table B.1 — Extract from the ‘Metadata’ worksheet for the ‘Air Quality’ example .23
Table B.2 — Extract from the ‘Monthly Averages’ worksheet for the ‘Air Quality’ example .25
Table B.3 — World War II Weather Data’ example – extract for station 16407 for December
1943 .26
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© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
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work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance
are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria
needed for the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in
accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or
www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents) or the IEC
list of patent declarations received (see https://patents.iec.ch).
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For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html. In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 32, Data management and interchange.
This first edition of ISO/IEC 11179-33 cancels and replaces ISO/IEC 11179-7:2019, which has been
technically revised.
The main changes are as follows.
— The document brings the previously published content into line with the rest of the 4th Edition of
ISO/IEC 11179.
— The document also includes enhancements that recognise that a data set can be derived from one or
many other data sets.
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 11179 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards
body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and
www.iec.ch/national-committees.
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© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Introduction
ISO/IEC 11179-3 specifies the structure of a Metadata registry and provides a metamodel for registry
common facilities. This metamodel is intended to be extended by other parts of ISO/IEC 11179 for
specific purposes.
This document provides a specification of the extensions to the registry metamodel specified in
ISO/IEC 11179-3 to enable the registration of metadata about data sets. These data sets can be part of a
government-led open data initiative, or can be data sets that are used within and across organizations
for commercial, scientific or academic purposes.
There is a requirement for metadata about these data sets to be readily available to enable the consistent
and appropriate use of data and information, and to prevent duplication of work. Having an enhanced
Metadata Registry where metadata that describes data sets is registered will facilitate the discovery of
appropriate data sets.
The facilities described in this document, together with those described in ISO/IEC 11179-3,
ISO/IEC 11179-31 and ISO/IEC 11179-35, provide the ability to record the following information about
data sets:
— one or more unique identifiers for the data set;
— the designation or title of the data set;
— a definition or description of the data set that provides sufficient detail to enable a us
...