RDF Dublin Core Metadata Initiative


The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) has created some predefined properties for describing documents.


Dublin Core

RDF is metadata (data about data). RDF is used to describe information resources.

Dublin Core is a set of predefined properties for describing documents.

The first Dublin Core properties were defined in 1995 by the Metadata Working Group in Dublin, Ohio, and are currently maintained by the Dublin Metadata Initiative.

Properties Definition
Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the content of the resource (such as an author).
Coverage The atmosphere or scope of the resource content.
Creator An entity primarily responsible for creating the content of the resource.
Format A physical or digital manifestation of the resource.
Date The date of an event in the lifecycle of the resource.
Description A description of the content of the resource.
Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context.
Language The language used for the intellectual content of the resource.
Publisher An entity responsible for making the content of the resource available.
Relation A reference to a related resource.
Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource.
Source A reference to a resource from which the present resource is derived.
Subject A subject of the content of the resource.
Title A name given to the resource.
Type The nature or genre of the content of the resource.

By browsing the table above, we can find that RDF is very suitable for representing Dublin Core information.


RDF Examples

The following example demonstrates the use of Dublin Core properties in an RDF document:

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<rdf:RDF
xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
xmlns:dc= "http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">

<rdf:Description rdf:about="http://www.example.com">
<dc:description>Run Noob - Run! Rookie</dc:description>
  <dc:publisher>Refsnes Data as</dc:publisher>
  <dc:date>2008-09-01</dc:date>
  <dc:type>Web Development</dc:type>
  <dc:format>text/html</dc:format>
  <dc:language>en</dc:language>
</rdf:Description>

</rdf:RDF>

Other extensions