Data Catalogs
Data Catalogs and Portals are places where one can search for data. While Repositories physically hold data, Data Catalogs and Portals use metadata to provide searchable directories for data. Submitting your metadata to Data Portals and Catalogs makes them more visible and more likely to be used by others.
USGS Metadata Catalog Requirement
USGS policy requires that metadata for approved USGS scientific data must be deposited in and shared through the USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC).
USGS Science Data Catalog
The USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC) provides seamless access to USGS research and monitoring data from across the nation. Users have the ability to search, browse, or use a map-based interface to discover USGS data.
Learn how to deposit your metadata records to the SDC below.
U.S. Department of the Interior Data Catalog
The Department of the Interior (DOI) aggregates metadata from USGS, as well as the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, to populate a catalog at https://www.data.doi.gov.
This catalog in turn supplies metadata from all of DOI to https://www.data.gov.
U.S. Government's Data Catalog
"https://www.data.gov is the home of the U.S. Government's open data.
You can find Federal, state and local data, tools, and resources to conduct research, build apps, design data visualizations, and more." (From https://www.data.gov/about)
https://www.data.gov is the signature initiative of the broader Open Data effort, designed to more effectively share U.S. governmental data. Agencies, including USGS, are making concerted efforts to effectively describe and share their data resources, and integrate them across agency boundaries. A range of communities available in https://www.data.gov provide thematic and focused views of select topics.
Other Catalogs
- USGS Model Catalog - a new collection of information on scientific models developed by the USGS, and other scientific models developed by external organizations used in USGS investigations.
- https://www.code.gov - a source for usable open-source code from federal agency partners.
- PubsWarehouse – Houses over 160,000 publications written by USGS scientists.
Identify your submission pathway to the Science Data Catalog
There are 3 ways to deposit your metadata record for your data in the SDC. Please choose only one method, to avoid duplicate record submissions.
ScienceBase Data Release
If you are releasing your data through the formal ScienceBase Data Release process, your metadata is automatically assigned a persistent identifier (see PID) and will be sent to the SDC on the evening following the release in ScienceBase. Please refer to the ScienceBase Data Release page for instructions.
Local metadata aggregation and submission by select centers/programs from other USGS repositories
If you are publishing your data through one of the following centers/programs, your metadata is consolidated locally with other metadata from your location and provided to the SDC through a nightly harvest process. Please contact the relevant coordinator listed below for questions about submission of your metadata to the SDC, and check for persistent identifier assignment responsibilities (see PID assignment below).
Coastal & Marine Hazards & Resources Program (CMGDS): Bryan McCloskey | bmccloskey@usgs.gov
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center: Ryan Longhenry | rlonghenry@usgs.gov
Mineral Resources Program: John Fisher | jwfisher@usgs.gov
National Geospatial Program: Bobby Osadetz | rosadetz@usgs.gov
National Geologic Map Database (NGMDB): Dave Soller | drsoller@usgs.gov
Data release to an approved, non-USGS repository
Under USGS Survey Manual Chapter 502.7, if a USGS author releases USGS data in an approved, non-USGS repository, they must provide the CSDGM or ISO XML metadata file for that data release to the USGS Science Data Catalog, as USGS has no mechanisms to acquire metadata for USGS data released to external repositories.
The metadata XML file must include a USGS Metadata Identifier, which can be obtained from the Asset Identifier Service (AIS) Service.
To manually submit your metadata for an externally published USGS data release you will need to email the metadata record to ask-sdm@usgs.gov, and include the following:
- In the subject line of the email, please enter: “metadata file submission to SDC – external USGS data release”
- Specify under which Creative Commons (CC) license the data were released (note: Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal is the CC equivalent of “Public Domain” and should be used unless a non-federal collaborator requests one of the other CC licenses listed:
- Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
- Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
- Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International
- Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International
- Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International
- Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives 4.0 International
- Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0 International
- Note the USGS Science Center responsible for publishing the data release
- Provide the IP number of the data release in IPDS
- Note the name and email address of the USGS contact responsible for the data release
- Attach your CSDGM or ISO XML metadata file to the email
Persistent Identifier (PID) Assignment
The latest USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC) now requires that every metadata record be assigned a unique persistent identifier (PID), so that records can be individually tracked in both the SDC and the downstream federal catalogs for uniqueness, provenance, and versioning. The metadata PID must be unique, registered in the USGS Asset Identifier Service (AIS) and must be placed in a specific location in the CSDGM or ISO XML record. Depending upon the repository selected, the metadata PID may need to be assigned by the metadata author prior to deposit in the repository, or it may be assigned by the repository staff as part of the finalization of the data release. Consult the PID FAQ site for information regarding responsible party for metadata PID registration and insertion in the final XML file.
What the U.S. Geological Survey Manual Requires:
The USGS Survey Manual Chapter 502.7 – Fundamental Science Practices: Metadata for USGS Scientific Information Products Including Data states that metadata for approved scientific data must be deposited in and shared through the USGS Science Data Catalog (https://data.usgs.gov/datacatalog/). Creators of these metadata must ensure that records are developed in a format (for example, xml) accepted by clearinghouses or repositories, such as the USGS Science Data Catalog.
Page last updated 9/30/25.