{"id":2954036,"date":"2026-01-15T04:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T12:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=2954036"},"modified":"2026-01-19T06:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:36:10","slug":"metadata-year-in-review-for-2025","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025","title":{"rendered":"Metadata Year in Review for 2025"},"author":358732,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[23851],"tags":[780845,349912,27771,27581],"industry":[],"product":[36571,36811,36581,36551,36561],"class_list":["post-2954036","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-data-management","tag-ai-assistant","tag-content-management","tag-metadata","tag-search","product-arcgis-enterprise","product-arcgis-hub","product-arcgis-living-atlas","product-arcgis-online","product-arcgis-pro"],"acf":{"authors":[{"ID":358732,"user_firstname":"Jordan","user_lastname":"Duft","nickname":"Jordan Duft","user_nicename":"jduft","display_name":"Jordan Duft","user_email":"jduft@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2024-07-01 21:54:16","user_description":"Jordan Duft is a product manager for metadata, catalog, and search functionalities across the ArcGIS platform. She enjoys working with cross-functional teams to support users as they unlock the full potential of their geospatial data.","user_avatar":"<img data-del=\"avatar\" src='https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1DBCE64B-0793-47D3-96CA-8BB92D851F56-Copy-179x200.png' class='avatar pp-user-avatar avatar-96 photo ' height='96' width='96'\/>"}],"short_description":"Metadata leveled up in 2025: From Dublin Core+ to emerging AI capabilities, 2025 marked substantial progress in modernizing metadata practices.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p>Yesterday I received a holiday card in the mail. It read\u2014<span style=\"color: #ff0000\">fa<\/span> <span style=\"color: #008000\">la<\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000\">la<\/span> <span style=\"color: #008000\">la<\/span>\u2026 <strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">late!<\/span><\/strong> It was perfect, brightening up an otherwise dreary January day.<\/p>\n<p>And in that better late than never spirit, here\u2019s <em>our<\/em> slightly-belated-but-worth-the-wait <strong>Metadata Year in Review for 2025<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<p>In 2025 we observed metadata become more relevant than ever. Metadata, the information about your data, is magic! For those who understand its power know that metadata is fundamental to search and content discovery, the reuse of geospatial data, AI readiness, and ultimately supporting the vision of the geospatial nervous system.<\/p>\n<p>Esri has been making strides in simplifying metadata with a unified, well-integrated experience across ArcGIS to empower more users to experience the metadata magic. Below are our metadata highlights from 2025 to help you keep discovering and connecting metadata workflows as you look ahead to spark some meatdata magic in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Metadata overwrite<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with improvements to metadata overwrite in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise (starting at 11.5). Transfer metadata from one item to another using the metadata editor.<\/p>\n<p>But the best part? Save time when you\u2019re just getting started with metadata by creating templates, and then OVERWRITE! If you have common metadata elements\u2014such as contact information or standard tags\u2014across multiple datasets, you can create a template and use the overwrite functionality to apply it to your items. This keeps everything consistent and reduces manual input. Although not new, you should know that you can also apply templates in ArcGIS Pro. It\u2019s a great way to simplify metadata creation, minimize errors, and speed up your workflows. Plus, the updated design gives you more control over what gets overwritten.<\/p>\n<p>Want to learn more? Check out the blog <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\"><strong>Overwrite Your Metadata with Ease<\/strong><\/a>\u2014it even includes a sample script to help you hit the ground running!<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2696932,"id":2696932,"title":"overwrite illustration","filename":"overwrite-illustration-1.png","filesize":893876,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/overwrite-illustration-2","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Options for overwriting metadata","name":"overwrite-illustration-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-21 21:10:39","modified":"2025-02-27 18:39:20","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1023,"height":783,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","medium-width":341,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":588,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","large-width":1023,"large-height":783,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","1536x1536-width":1023,"1536x1536-height":783,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","2048x2048-width":1023,"2048x2048-height":783,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1-608x465.png","card_image-width":608,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","wide_image-width":1023,"wide_image-height":783}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Metadata editor is now available across all foundational products!<\/h2>\n<p>The metadata editor is now available in <strong>ArcGIS Pro <\/strong>(starting at 3.5), ArcGIS Online, and ArcGIS Enterprise (starting at 11.3), unifying the metadata editing experience across the platform that makes maintaining metadata easier than ever.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Don\u2019t know which metadata elements to fill out?<\/em> <strong>\u2192<\/strong> The Essential Metadata tab will focus the metadata editor to only present required and suggested metadata elements for the metadata style selected. No guessing which metadata elements are required to adhere to a specific metadata standard. The metadata editor gives you the full list.<\/li>\n<li><em>Can\u2019t find a specific metadata element in the editor?<\/em> <strong>\u2192<\/strong> Use the search to locate the metadata element in the editor.<\/li>\n<li><em>Need guidance on how to populate the metadata element?<\/em> <strong>\u2192<\/strong> Helper text helps guide users with best practices to populate accurate and higher quality metadata.<\/li>\n<li><em>How to know when you&#8217;re done?<\/em> <strong>\u2192<\/strong> The completeness score shows how many required metadata elements you\u2019ve already filled in and how many are still missing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ready to start? Learn more in the blog <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/data-management\/metadata-editor-is-now-available-in-arcgis-pro-3-5\">Metadata Editor is now available in ArcGIS Pro 3.5<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2783562,"id":2783562,"title":"Change metadata editor in ArcGIS Pro","filename":"ChangingTheEditor.gif","filesize":3674144,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChangingTheEditor.gif","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/data-management\/metadata-editor-is-now-available-in-arcgis-pro-3-5\/changingtheeditor","alt":"In the Options dialog window, click the Metadata Editor drop-down to switch to the ArcGIS Metadata Editor.","author":"358732","description":"","caption":"Easily switch back and forth between ArcGIS Pro classic metadata editor and ArcGIS metadata editor. ","name":"changingtheeditor","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2783552,"date":"2025-05-06 13:43:37","modified":"2025-05-06 13:52:35","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/gif","type":"image","subtype":"gif","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":990,"height":706,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChangingTheEditor-213x200.gif","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChangingTheEditor.gif","medium-width":366,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChangingTheEditor.gif","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":548,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChangingTheEditor.gif","large-width":990,"large-height":706,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChangingTheEditor.gif","1536x1536-width":990,"1536x1536-height":706,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChangingTheEditor.gif","2048x2048-width":990,"2048x2048-height":706,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChangingTheEditor-652x465.gif","card_image-width":652,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ChangingTheEditor.gif","wide_image-width":990,"wide_image-height":706}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>New default metadata style \u2014Dublin Core+<\/h2>\n<p>Dublin Core+ is the newest and now default metadata style in ArcGIS. Built on the widely used Dublin Core standard, Dublin Core+ is created by Esri\u2014providing a metadata style for organizations that do not require the complexity of more advanced metadata standards.<\/p>\n<p>The National Geospatial Advisory Council published a paper in 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fgdc.gov\/ngac\/meetings\/feb-2025\/ngac-paper-advancing-the-nations-geospatial.pdf\">Advancing the Nation\u2019s Geospatial Ecosystem: Guidance and Best Practices for Sharing Priority National Data<\/a> with key metadata elements needed to optimize data for discovery, reuse, and AI readiness. All these priority elements are included in Dublin Core+.<\/p>\n<p>Bringing these best practices together, Dublin Core+ helps prepare content for reuse, effective search, and AI integration across ArcGIS. It is available in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise (starting at 12.0), and will soon become available in ArcGIS Pro.<\/p>\n<p>Is Dublin Core+ your organization\u2019s default metadata style? Read more in the blog, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/simplifying-metadata-introducing-a-new-style-dublin-core\"><strong>Simplifying metadata: Introducing a new style, Dublin Core+<\/strong> <\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Standard-based metadata for all items<\/h2>\n<p>Standard\u2011based metadata is now available for all items in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise (starting at 12.0). What does that mean? Previously, an item only had standard\u2011based metadata if you opened the metadata editor and created it manually. Now, standard\u2011based metadata generates automatically\u2014even if you never open the metadata editor.<\/p>\n<p>Any metadata entered on the item page, commonly known as item information, is automatically included in the standard-based metadata determined by the metadata style selected by your organization. And if you need to go beyond what\u2019s available on the item page, you can still open the metadata editor to document additional metadata.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Item Details assistant (beta)<\/h2>\n<p>Creating metadata\u2014especially descriptive elements like summaries and descriptions\u2014can be challenging to get started. It can also be time consuming, especially when documenting attribute field metadata such as friendly field display names (aliases) or field descriptions. The Item Details assistant (beta) made its debut in 2025 and it would be an understatement to say we are STOKED.<\/p>\n<p>The Item Details assistant uses generative AI to help make your metadata more complete and ready to use. Right on the item page, it provides smart suggestions to enhance your item\u2019s title, summary, description, tags, and attribute field details.<\/p>\n<p>This assistant is available as a public beta feature in ArcGIS Enterprise 12.0 and is planned to become a public beta feature in ArcGIS Online in early 2026.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"kaltura","video_id":"1_fxhx5wn9","time":false,"start":0,"stop":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p>Get more details in the blog, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-enterprise\/announcements\/introducing-item-details-assistant-beta\">Introducing the Item Details assistant (beta) &#8211; helping you create and enhance information about your content<\/a><\/strong> and join the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/earlyadopter.esri.com\/ItemDetailsAssistant\">Early Adopter Community<\/a><\/strong>!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Synchronize field metadata<\/h2>\n<p>After using the Item Details assistant (beta) to help complete metadata for your fields, be sure to update your standards\u2011based metadata as well!<\/p>\n<p>Esri added new functionality to make maintaining field metadata easier with the Synchronize option in the metadata editor. If you make changes to your fields\u2014or to their metadata\u2014simply run Synchronize when those changes occur. This ensures your standards\u2011based metadata stays accurate and consistent. Read more in the blog, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/sync-attribute-fields-using-the-metadata-editor\">Sync Attribute Fields Using the Metadata Editor<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2810712,"id":2810712,"title":"Sync attribute fields","filename":"Syn-attribute-fields.png","filesize":357540,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Syn-attribute-fields.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/sync-attribute-fields-using-the-metadata-editor\/syn-attribute-fields","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Synchronize attribute fields","name":"syn-attribute-fields","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2788612,"date":"2025-05-28 00:45:16","modified":"2025-05-28 00:45:32","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1964,"height":1134,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Syn-attribute-fields-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Syn-attribute-fields.png","medium-width":452,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Syn-attribute-fields.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":443,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Syn-attribute-fields.png","large-width":1870,"large-height":1080,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Syn-attribute-fields-1536x887.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":887,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Syn-attribute-fields.png","2048x2048-width":1964,"2048x2048-height":1134,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Syn-attribute-fields-805x465.png","card_image-width":805,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Syn-attribute-fields-1870x1080.png","wide_image-width":1870,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Living Atlas of the World Evaluate and Nominate App<\/h2>\n<p>Last year, Living Atlas of the World released a new app that helps you review your metadata and gives you suggestions to make it ready to share\u2014and even check to see if it is eligible for inclusion in the curated Living Atlas collection of high\u2011quality, ready\u2011to\u2011use layers, maps, and apps. Even if you don\u2019t plan to nominate an item, the evaluation provides free, practical guidance to help you improve how you share content with the GIS community.<\/p>\n<p>Need a new year&#8217;s resolution? Consider nominating a layer, map, or app to be included with Living Atlas of the World!<\/p>\n<p>Get more details in the blog, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-living-atlas\/sharing-collaboration\/living-atlas-evaluate-nominate-app-released\">Living Atlas \u201cEvaluate and Nominate\u201d App Released<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Catalog feeds -introducing DCAT 3<\/h2>\n<p>Quality metadata is critical for quality catalog feeds, such as DCAT. Wait, what\u2019s a catalog feed?<\/p>\n<p>Watch this video to find out and dig deeper in the blog, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-hub\/data-management\/arcgis-hub-catalog-feeds-support-dcat-rss-ogc\">ArcGIS Hub catalog feeds enhance data sharing and discoverability\u2014announcing DCAT 3<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"kaltura","video_id":"1_onpmk4md","time":false,"start":0,"stop":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>\u2026and in 2026<\/h2>\n<p>Looking ahead to 2026, there\u2019s even more to be excited about. Dublin Core+ coming to ArcGIS Pro. ISO 19115\u20113 (including 19110) support is also on the way, which means the ISO metadata standard will soon support attribute fields\u2014an important improvement for organizations using ISO. The Item Details assistant (beta) planned for ArcGIS Online, bringing AI\u2011powered metadata suggestions to even more users.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","content":"<p>Metadata element of 2026? -Extents<\/p>\n<p>It is difficult to pick just one, but we\u2019re going with extents\u2014specifically, geographic extents. You can set an item\u2019s extent in the metadata editor, or\u2014if you\u2019re using ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise\u2014directly on the item page under Settings.<\/p>\n<p>Extents are essential for successful spatial search. They help ensure your content appears when users search within a geographic area. And they aren\u2019t just for spatial datasets\u2014non\u2011spatial items can (and often should) include extents so they are discovered appropriately in spatial searches.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p style=\"text-align: left\">There\u2019s growing enthusiasm for the impact of <em>better metadata<\/em>\u2014what it unlocks for search in ArcGIS and for Esri\u2019s continued development of AI assistants. High\u2011quality metadata is becoming more essential than ever, and we\u2019re excited to see the benefits as these capabilities expand.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\">We encourage you to stay connected with us throughout the year\u2014we have a lot to share, and even more we\u2019re eager to learn from you!<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: left\">\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/earlyadopter.esri.com\/ItemDetailsAssistant\">Item Details assistant (beta) Early Adopter Community<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left\">\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/community.esri.com\/t5\/metadata-catalogs-and-search\/ct-p\/metadata-catalogs-and-search\">Metadata, Catalog, and Search Esri Community<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left\">\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/survey123.arcgis.com\/share\/728a624838314a769744a0834b757ab2\">Metadata impact and priorities survey<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left\"><\/div>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Happy 2026 and let us know how we can help with your metadata new years resolutions!<\/p>\n"}],"related_articles":[{"ID":2943070,"post_author":"364572","post_date":"2025-10-22 18:02:46","post_date_gmt":"2025-10-23 01:02:46","post_content":"","post_title":"What\u2019s New in AI Assistants (October 2025)","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"whats-new-in-ai-assistants-october-2025","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-11-21 15:40:11","post_modified_gmt":"2025-11-21 23:40:11","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=2943070","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":1548702,"post_author":"9522","post_date":"2025-07-15 08:11:30","post_date_gmt":"2025-07-15 15:11:30","post_content":"","post_title":"Help to make your data FAIR","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"help-to-make-your-data-fair-part-1","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-08-11 06:19:53","post_modified_gmt":"2025-08-11 13:19:53","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=1548702","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2943626,"post_author":"308942","post_date":"2025-11-04 11:58:55","post_date_gmt":"2025-11-04 19:58:55","post_content":"","post_title":"Introducing the ArcGIS Hub assistant (beta)","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"chat-with-the-arcgis-hub-assistant","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-11-06 11:17:18","post_modified_gmt":"2025-11-06 19:17:18","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=2943626","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":1587652,"post_author":"7121","post_date":"2022-06-07 16:20:45","post_date_gmt":"2022-06-07 23:20:45","post_content":"","post_title":"Yet another reason to acknowledge your sources: it shows up in maps","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"layer_source","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-08-19 14:55:26","post_modified_gmt":"2025-08-19 21:55:26","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=1587652","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":1802182,"post_author":"7121","post_date":"2023-01-18 15:08:07","post_date_gmt":"2023-01-18 23:08:07","post_content":"","post_title":"High-Quality Field Descriptions Make Mapping Easier","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"high-quality-field-descriptions","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-01-18 15:20:48","post_modified_gmt":"2023-01-18 23:20:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=1802182","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"2","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2488892,"post_author":"360602","post_date":"2024-09-23 08:52:23","post_date_gmt":"2024-09-23 15:52:23","post_content":"","post_title":"Metadata - Data Interoperability's Hidden Talent (Part One)","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"metadata-data-interoperabilitys-hidden-talent-part-one","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-09-23 08:52:23","post_modified_gmt":"2024-09-23 15:52:23","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=2488892","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"show_article_image":false,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/01\/generated_image.png","wide_image":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Metadata Year in Review for 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 2025 review of ArcGIS metadata advancements\u2014new functionality, AI enhancements, Dublin Core+, DCAT 3, and upcoming 2026 improvements.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Metadata Year in Review for 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A 2025 review of ArcGIS metadata advancements\u2014new functionality, AI enhancements, Dublin Core+, DCAT 3, and upcoming 2026 improvements.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ArcGIS Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-19T14:36:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ESRI\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jordan Duft\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/61c6dc01aec49aab90ff49f7af05b87c\"},\"headline\":\"Metadata Year in Review for 2025\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-15T12:40:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-19T14:36:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025\"},\"wordCount\":5,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"AI assistant\",\"content management\",\"metadata\",\"search\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Data Management\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025\",\"name\":\"Metadata Year in Review for 2025\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-15T12:40:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-19T14:36:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"A 2025 review of ArcGIS metadata advancements\u2014new functionality, AI enhancements, Dublin Core+, DCAT 3, and upcoming 2026 improvements.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Metadata Year in Review for 2025\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/\",\"name\":\"ArcGIS Blog\",\"description\":\"Get insider info from Esri product teams\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Esri\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Esri.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Esri.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Esri\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ESRI\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/5311\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/61c6dc01aec49aab90ff49f7af05b87c\",\"name\":\"Jordan Duft\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1DBCE64B-0793-47D3-96CA-8BB92D851F56-Copy-179x200.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1DBCE64B-0793-47D3-96CA-8BB92D851F56-Copy-179x200.png\",\"caption\":\"Jordan Duft\"},\"description\":\"Jordan Duft is a product manager for metadata, catalog, and search functionalities across the ArcGIS platform. She enjoys working with cross-functional teams to support users as they unlock the full potential of their geospatial data.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/author\/jduft\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Metadata Year in Review for 2025","description":"A 2025 review of ArcGIS metadata advancements\u2014new functionality, AI enhancements, Dublin Core+, DCAT 3, and upcoming 2026 improvements.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Metadata Year in Review for 2025","og_description":"A 2025 review of ArcGIS metadata advancements\u2014new functionality, AI enhancements, Dublin Core+, DCAT 3, and upcoming 2026 improvements.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025","og_site_name":"ArcGIS Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","article_modified_time":"2026-01-19T14:36:10+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@ESRI","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025"},"author":{"name":"Jordan Duft","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/61c6dc01aec49aab90ff49f7af05b87c"},"headline":"Metadata Year in Review for 2025","datePublished":"2026-01-15T12:40:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-19T14:36:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025"},"wordCount":5,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["AI assistant","content management","metadata","search"],"articleSection":["Data Management"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025","name":"Metadata Year in Review for 2025","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-01-15T12:40:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-19T14:36:10+00:00","description":"A 2025 review of ArcGIS metadata advancements\u2014new functionality, AI enhancements, Dublin Core+, DCAT 3, and upcoming 2026 improvements.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/data-management\/metadata-year-in-review-for-2025#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Metadata Year in Review for 2025"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/","name":"ArcGIS Blog","description":"Get insider info from Esri product teams","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#organization","name":"Esri","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Esri.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Esri.png","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"Esri"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ESRI","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/5311\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/61c6dc01aec49aab90ff49f7af05b87c","name":"Jordan Duft","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1DBCE64B-0793-47D3-96CA-8BB92D851F56-Copy-179x200.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1DBCE64B-0793-47D3-96CA-8BB92D851F56-Copy-179x200.png","caption":"Jordan Duft"},"description":"Jordan Duft is a product manager for metadata, catalog, and search functionalities across the ArcGIS platform. She enjoys working with cross-functional teams to support users as they unlock the full potential of their geospatial data.","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/author\/jduft"}]}},"text_date":"January 15, 2026","author_name":"Jordan Duft","author_page":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/author\/jduft","custom_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Newsroom-Keyart-Wide-1920-x-1080.jpg","primary_product":"ArcGIS Online","tag_data":[{"term_id":780845,"name":"AI assistant","slug":"ai-assistant","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":780845,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":9,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":349912,"name":"content management","slug":"content-management","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":349912,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":27771,"name":"metadata","slug":"metadata","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":27771,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":32,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":27581,"name":"search","slug":"search","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":27581,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":23,"filter":"raw"}],"category_data":[{"term_id":23851,"name":"Data Management","slug":"data-management","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":23851,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":920,"filter":"raw"}],"product_data":[{"term_id":36571,"name":"ArcGIS Enterprise","slug":"arcgis-enterprise","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":36571,"taxonomy":"product","description":"","parent":0,"count":972,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":36811,"name":"ArcGIS Hub","slug":"arcgis-hub","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":36811,"taxonomy":"product","description":"","parent":36591,"count":218,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":36581,"name":"ArcGIS Living Atlas","slug":"arcgis-living-atlas","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":36581,"taxonomy":"product","description":"","parent":0,"count":1164,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":36551,"name":"ArcGIS Online","slug":"arcgis-online","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":36551,"taxonomy":"product","description":"","parent":0,"count":2419,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":36561,"name":"ArcGIS Pro","slug":"arcgis-pro","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":36561,"taxonomy":"product","description":"","parent":0,"count":2035,"filter":"raw"}],"primary_product_link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?s=#&products=arcgis-online","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/2954036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/358732"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2954036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/2954036\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2954036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2954036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2954036"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=2954036"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=2954036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}