DCAT (RDF Data Catalog)
DCAT (Data Catalog Vocabulary) is an RDF vocabulary designed to facilitate interoperability between data catalogs published on the Web, enabling AI systems to discover and understand datasets.
dcat.ttlOrigin & Background
Key Benefits & Advantages
Benefits Overview
- Positions content as structured datasets for AI discovery
- Enables inclusion in data catalogs and knowledge graphs
- Provides semantic metadata for dataset understanding
Technical Advantages
SEO / GEO / LLMO Relevance
DCAT positions your content as structured datasets that AI systems can discover, catalog, and reference as authoritative data sources in knowledge graphs and AI-generated answers.
Implementation Guide
Syntax Example
@prefix dcat: <http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#> .
@prefix dct: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
@prefix foaf: <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/> .
<https://geordy.ai/dataset/ai-crawl-analytics>
a dcat:Dataset ;
dct:title "AI Bot Crawl Analytics Dataset" ;
dct:description "Real-time crawl activity from GPTBot, Claude-Web, PerplexityBot across optimized sites" ;
dcat:keyword "GPTBot", "Claude-Web", "AI crawling", "LLM visibility", "GEO metrics" ;
dct:publisher <https://geordy.ai> ;
dct:issued "2024-01-15"^^xsd:date ;
dct:modified "2024-01-15"^^xsd:date ;
dct:language <http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/iso639-1/en> ;
dct:accrualPeriodicity <http://purl.org/cld/freq/daily> ;
dcat:theme <http://publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/data-theme/TECH> ;
dcat:distribution [
a dcat:Distribution ;
dct:title "JSON API Distribution" ;
dcat:accessURL <https://geordy.ai/api/crawl-data> ;
dct:format "application/json" ;
dcat:byteSize "1048576"^^xsd:decimal ;
dcat:downloadURL <https://geordy.ai/api/crawl-data/download>
] ;
dcat:contactPoint [
a vcard:Organization ;
vcard:fn "Geordy Data Team" ;
vcard:hasEmail <mailto:[email protected]>
] .Troubleshooting & Best Practices
Comparison to Alternative Formats
Use DCAT for open data publishing, research datasets, and any content you want positioned as structured data in catalogs and knowledge graphs. Essential for government, research, and enterprise data platforms.
Advantages
- +W3C standard with wide adoption
- +Enables federated data discovery
- +Rich semantic metadata support
- +Interoperable across catalogs
Limitations
- −Complex RDF syntax requires learning curve
- −Overkill for simple datasets
- −Requires understanding of semantic web concepts
- −Limited tooling compared to simpler formats
Popular Use Cases
Open Data Publishing
Publish government, research, or enterprise datasets for discovery
Government data portals, research institutions, data platformsAPI Documentation
Describe API endpoints and data services semantically
Data APIs, web services, platform APIsKnowledge Graph Integration
Enable dataset discovery in knowledge graphs and AI systems
Enterprise data catalogs, research databasesReal-World Adoption Examples
European Data Portal
Uses DCAT-AP for cataloging datasets across European countries
Data.gov
Implements DCAT for US government open data catalog
World Bank Data
Uses DCAT for global development data discovery