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FAIR² and Google Rich Results Integration

Overview

FAIR² (FAIR Squared) supports integration with Google Dataset Search and other rich result platforms by aligning metadata with the Schema.org Dataset class. This alignment improves the discoverability of FAIR²-compliant datasets through search engines and enables automatic indexing by tools that support structured data.

By embedding Schema.org-compatible JSON-LD metadata, FAIR² datasets can be included in Google Rich Results, allowing users to find datasets based on spatial and temporal coverage, licensing, creators, and more.

Schema.org Dataset Compatibility in FAIR²

FAIR² incorporates the following Schema.org properties to enable dataset indexing in search platforms:

Property Purpose
@type: Dataset Declares the type of the resource as a Dataset
name The title of the dataset
description Summary of dataset content
url Landing page or persistent identifier
license Licensing information for reuse
creator / author Agent responsible for dataset creation
keywords Tags and search keywords
datePublished Dataset publication date
spatialCoverage Geographic location associated with the dataset
temporalCoverage Time range the data covers
distribution Links to downloadable files

Example: JSON-LD Metadata for Rich Search Integration

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Dataset",
  "name": "Global Land Use Dataset",
  "description": "A dataset describing global land use changes between 2000 and 2020.",
  "url": "https://example.org/datasets/global-land-use",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Earth Data Institute"
  },
  "keywords": ["land use", "global", "environment", "remote sensing"],
  "datePublished": "2024-12-01",
  "spatialCoverage": {
    "@type": "Place",
    "geo": {
      "@type": "GeoShape",
      "box": "-90 -180 90 180"
    }
  },
  "temporalCoverage": "2000-01-01/2020-12-31",
  "distribution": {
    "@type": "DataDownload",
    "contentUrl": "https://example.org/downloads/land-use.csv",
    "encodingFormat": "text/csv"
  }
}

This example satisfies Google’s structured data guidelines and aligns with FAIR² validation rules.

Benefits of Schema.org Integration in FAIR²

  • Improved discoverability of datasets in Google Dataset Search
  • Semantic interoperability with linked data platforms
  • Enhanced metadata quality with structured spatio-temporal descriptions
  • Support for persistent identifiers (e.g., DOIs or URIs)

To ensure compatibility with search engines and FAIR² validation:

  1. Use @context: https://schema.org and @type: Dataset
  2. Always include name, description, url, and license
  3. Provide spatialCoverage and temporalCoverage when applicable
  4. Link to actual data files using the distribution property
  5. Validate metadata using SHACL constraints and structured data testing tools

Next Steps