The geodata.gov portal supports both Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and International Standards Organization (ISO) metadata standards. Metadata or "data about data" describes the content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of data. Metadata is used in Internet-based clearinghouses, such as geodata.gov, to search for specific data sets.
The FGDC standard was developed to allow creation of standardized metadata to preserve the value and meaning of datasets, allow search and retrieval of metadata via clearinghouses, and aid in data transfer.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) document 19115, Geographic Information-Metadata, is currently a Final Draft International Standard; it is referred to as the ISO metadata standard. The FGDC standard is the foundation on which the ISO metadata standard is built.