EnVar microschema · class
Deposit Metadata
DepositMetadata
Deposit-time slots required when the sidecar travels alongside a published FAIR object (Zenodo / Dryad / C-HER / etc.). Most slots are pulled from other modules; this class names the required-for-deposit subset and adds a few deposit-specific slots.
Where it sits
Composed intoEnvironmentalExposureRecord
Fields
A DOI is a permanent ID for a published dataset, like an ISBN for a book. Whatever happens to the hosting website, the DOI keeps pointing to the dataset, so people can always find and cite it.
DOI assigned by the deposit repository (e.g. Zenodo).
Example
10.5281/zenodo.9999999 — illustrative Zenodo DOI from the worked Daymet Tmax example
Why it matters & mappings
The DOI is the permanent, citable identifier of the published deposit — the F in FAIR. Without it the record cannot be cited, found in catalogues, or re-retrieved once the original download link rots.
See also: https://www.doi.org/, https://zenodo.org/
If the permanent dataset ID is missing, this slot explains why — for instance the record is circulating before publication and the ID has not been issued yet.
Reason deposit_doi is null (e.g. pre-deposit).
Example
under_investigation — sidecar circulated pre-deposit; DOI pending
Allowed values
not_provided_by_source Source product does not produce this information
available_but_not_extracted Source produces this information but the current pipeline does not surface it
upstream_data_not_propagated An upstream tool emitted this information but the current pipeline dropped it...
under_investigation We are working on populating this slot
not_applicable This slot does not apply to this variable / record
Why it matters & mappings
Separates "this record was never deposited" from "the DOI is pending". Without it, a missing DOI is ambiguous and a consumer cannot tell whether a citable identifier will ever exist for this record.
A deposit repository is a public archive for research data — a place like Zenodo where a dataset is published with a permanent ID and kept available long-term. This slot records which archive was used.
Repository hosting the deposit.
Example
zenodo
Allowed values
zenodo Zenodo
dryad Dryad
figshare Figshare
c_her ORNL C-HER (Centralized Health and Exposomic Resource)
osf Open Science Framework
Why it matters & mappings
Names where the deposited object actually lives, which determines access routes, retention guarantees, and how the DOI resolves. Without it, the deposit's accessibility (the A in FAIR) rests on the DOI alone and cannot be assessed.
See also: https://zenodo.org/
If no archive is named, this slot says why — most often because the record was never meant to be published as a standalone dataset in the first place.
Reason deposit_repository is null.
Example
not_applicable — the record is not published as a standalone FAIR deposit
Allowed values
not_provided_by_source Source product does not produce this information
available_but_not_extracted Source produces this information but the current pipeline does not surface it
upstream_data_not_propagated An upstream tool emitted this information but the current pipeline dropped it...
under_investigation We are working on populating this slot
not_applicable This slot does not apply to this variable / record
Why it matters & mappings
Makes an absent repository name interpretable: most records are never deposited, and this slot records that this is deliberate rather than an oversight, so completeness checks do not raise false alarms.
A license is the legal permission slip attached to the data — for example "you may reuse this if you credit the authors". SPDX is just a standard list of short codes for licenses (like CC-BY-4.0), so software can read the terms without a lawyer.
SPDX identifier of the license under which the derived exposure record (not the source) is published.
Example
CC-BY-4.0
Why it matters & mappings
States, in a machine-readable form, what a reuser is legally allowed to do with the published exposure record. Without it, reuse of the deposit is legally uncertain and cautious downstream users must treat the data as all-rights-reserved — the R in FAIR fails.
See also: https://spdx.org/licenses/
Datasets built from other datasets can inherit rules from their ingredients, the way a recipe using someone's secret sauce may come with strings attached. This slot lists any such inherited rules so nobody accidentally breaks them when sharing the result.
Constraints from any input source that pass through to the deposit.
Example
no redistribution of raw PRISM grids — one inherited pass-through constraint (list element); an empty list is also valid and asserts that no constraints pass through
Why it matters & mappings
A derived product can carry restrictions from its inputs even when its own license is permissive; without recording them, a deposit may violate an upstream license — for example by redistributing grids the source forbids sharing. An explicit empty list positively asserts that nothing passes through.
See also: https://spdx.org/licenses/
This is the one-line "how to credit us" text, like the suggested citation on the back of a report. Anyone reusing the dataset can copy it verbatim into their paper.
One-line recommended citation derived from the slots above.
Example
EnVar exposure record for cohort:phoenix_aki_2022 daily Tmax (Daymet V4), 2026. Deposited at Zenodo, doi:10.5281/zenodo.9999999.
Why it matters & mappings
A ready-made citation lowers the barrier to correct attribution: without it, reusers assemble citations by hand, producing inconsistent references that break citation tracking and deprive the producers of credit for the deposit.
DCAT is a standard way for data catalogues — searchable indexes of datasets, like a library catalogue — to describe where a file can be downloaded. This slot holds that direct download address so catalogue software can list and fetch the data automatically.
DCAT-compatible distribution URL for catalogue integration.
Example
https://zenodo.org/record/9999999/files/tmax_phoenix.parquet
Why it matters & mappings
This is the machine-actionable download hook for data catalogues: with it, the deposit can be indexed and fetched by DCAT-speaking catalogue software without human mediation. Without it, the record is findable by humans (via the DOI) but invisible to automated catalogue harvesting.
See also: https://www.w3.org/TR/vocab-dcat-3/
If there is no catalogue download link, this slot explains why — usually because the dataset was never registered in a data catalogue at all.
Reason dcat_distribution_url is null.
Example
not_applicable — the record is not registered in a DCAT catalogue
Allowed values
not_provided_by_source Source product does not produce this information
available_but_not_extracted Source produces this information but the current pipeline does not surface it
upstream_data_not_propagated An upstream tool emitted this information but the current pipeline dropped it...
under_investigation We are working on populating this slot
not_applicable This slot does not apply to this variable / record
Why it matters & mappings
Records whether the absence of a catalogue link is deliberate (the record is simply not catalogued) or a gap to be filled, so automated FAIR-ness assessments do not misreport an intentional omission as missing metadata.
Full field reference — every slot, cardinality & inheritance
| Field | Name | Tier | Cardinality / Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit DOI (Digital Object Identifier) | deposit_doi |
optional | 0..1 String |
DOI assigned by the deposit repository (e |
| Reason Deposit DOI Is Missing | deposit_doi_missing_reason |
optional | 0..1 MissingReasonEnum |
Reason deposit_doi is null (e |
| Deposit Repository | deposit_repository |
optional | 0..1 DepositRepositoryEnum |
Repository hosting the deposit |
| Reason Deposit Repository Is Missing | deposit_repository_missing_reason |
optional | 0..1 MissingReasonEnum |
Reason deposit_repository is null |
| Deposit License (SPDX Identifier) | deposit_license_spdx |
optional | 0..1 String |
SPDX identifier of the license under which the derived exposure record (not... |
| Inherited Redistribution Constraints | deposit_redistribution_constraints_inherited |
optional | * String |
Constraints from any input source that pass through to the deposit |
| Recommended Citation | recommended_citation |
optional | 0..1 String |
One-line recommended citation derived from the slots above |
| Data-Catalog (DCAT) Distribution URL | dcat_distribution_url |
optional | 0..1 Uri |
DCAT-compatible distribution URL for catalogue integration |
| Reason Distribution URL Is Missing | dcat_distribution_url_missing_reason |
optional | 0..1 MissingReasonEnum |
Reason dcat_distribution_url is null |
Diagram & LinkML source
classDiagram
class DepositMetadata
click DepositMetadata href "../../classes/DepositMetadata/"
DepositMetadata : dcat_distribution_url
DepositMetadata : dcat_distribution_url_missing_reason
DepositMetadata --> "0..1" MissingReasonEnum : dcat_distribution_url_missing_reason
click MissingReasonEnum href "../../enums/MissingReasonEnum/"
DepositMetadata : deposit_doi
DepositMetadata : deposit_doi_missing_reason
DepositMetadata --> "0..1" MissingReasonEnum : deposit_doi_missing_reason
click MissingReasonEnum href "../../enums/MissingReasonEnum/"
DepositMetadata : deposit_license_spdx
DepositMetadata : deposit_redistribution_constraints_inherited
DepositMetadata : deposit_repository
DepositMetadata --> "0..1" DepositRepositoryEnum : deposit_repository
click DepositRepositoryEnum href "../../enums/DepositRepositoryEnum/"
DepositMetadata : deposit_repository_missing_reason
DepositMetadata --> "0..1" MissingReasonEnum : deposit_repository_missing_reason
click MissingReasonEnum href "../../enums/MissingReasonEnum/"
DepositMetadata : recommended_citation
name: DepositMetadata
annotations:
domain_of_use:
tag: domain_of_use
value: environmental_exposure
description: Deposit-time slots required when the sidecar travels alongside a published
FAIR object (Zenodo / Dryad / C-HER / etc.). Most slots are pulled from other modules;
this class names the required-for-deposit subset and adds a few deposit-specific
slots.
title: Deposit Metadata
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
see_also:
- https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/
- https://zenodo.org/
rank: 1000
attributes:
deposit_doi:
name: deposit_doi
annotations:
tier:
tag: tier
value: optional
justification:
tag: justification
value: The DOI is the permanent, citable identifier of the published deposit
— the F in FAIR. Without it the record cannot be cited, found in catalogues,
or re-retrieved once the original download link rots.
explanation:
tag: explanation
value: A DOI is a permanent ID for a published dataset, like an ISBN for a
book. Whatever happens to the hosting website, the DOI keeps pointing to
the dataset, so people can always find and cite it.
description: DOI assigned by the deposit repository (e.g. Zenodo).
title: Deposit DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
examples:
- value: 10.5281/zenodo.9999999
description: illustrative Zenodo DOI from the worked Daymet Tmax example
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
see_also:
- https://www.doi.org/
- https://zenodo.org/
owner: DepositMetadata
domain_of:
- DepositMetadata
range: string
deposit_doi_missing_reason:
name: deposit_doi_missing_reason
annotations:
tier:
tag: tier
value: optional
justification:
tag: justification
value: Separates "this record was never deposited" from "the DOI is pending".
Without it, a missing DOI is ambiguous and a consumer cannot tell whether
a citable identifier will ever exist for this record.
explanation:
tag: explanation
value: If the permanent dataset ID is missing, this slot explains why — for
instance the record is circulating before publication and the ID has not
been issued yet.
description: Reason `deposit_doi` is null (e.g. pre-deposit).
title: Reason Deposit DOI Is Missing
examples:
- value: under_investigation
description: sidecar circulated pre-deposit; DOI pending
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
owner: DepositMetadata
domain_of:
- DepositMetadata
range: MissingReasonEnum
deposit_repository:
name: deposit_repository
annotations:
tier:
tag: tier
value: optional
justification:
tag: justification
value: Names where the deposited object actually lives, which determines access
routes, retention guarantees, and how the DOI resolves. Without it, the
deposit's accessibility (the A in FAIR) rests on the DOI alone and cannot
be assessed.
explanation:
tag: explanation
value: A deposit repository is a public archive for research data — a place
like Zenodo where a dataset is published with a permanent ID and kept available
long-term. This slot records which archive was used.
description: Repository hosting the deposit.
title: Deposit Repository
examples:
- value: zenodo
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
see_also:
- https://zenodo.org/
owner: DepositMetadata
domain_of:
- DepositMetadata
range: DepositRepositoryEnum
deposit_repository_missing_reason:
name: deposit_repository_missing_reason
annotations:
tier:
tag: tier
value: optional
justification:
tag: justification
value: 'Makes an absent repository name interpretable: most records are never
deposited, and this slot records that this is deliberate rather than an
oversight, so completeness checks do not raise false alarms.'
explanation:
tag: explanation
value: If no archive is named, this slot says why — most often because the
record was never meant to be published as a standalone dataset in the first
place.
description: Reason `deposit_repository` is null.
title: Reason Deposit Repository Is Missing
examples:
- value: not_applicable
description: the record is not published as a standalone FAIR deposit
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
owner: DepositMetadata
domain_of:
- DepositMetadata
range: MissingReasonEnum
deposit_license_spdx:
name: deposit_license_spdx
annotations:
tier:
tag: tier
value: optional
justification:
tag: justification
value: States, in a machine-readable form, what a reuser is legally allowed
to do with the published exposure record. Without it, reuse of the deposit
is legally uncertain and cautious downstream users must treat the data as
all-rights-reserved — the R in FAIR fails.
explanation:
tag: explanation
value: A license is the legal permission slip attached to the data — for example
"you may reuse this if you credit the authors". SPDX is just a standard
list of short codes for licenses (like CC-BY-4.0), so software can read
the terms without a lawyer.
description: SPDX identifier of the license under which the *derived* exposure
record (not the source) is published.
title: Deposit License (SPDX Identifier)
examples:
- value: CC-BY-4.0
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
see_also:
- https://spdx.org/licenses/
owner: DepositMetadata
domain_of:
- DepositMetadata
range: string
deposit_redistribution_constraints_inherited:
name: deposit_redistribution_constraints_inherited
annotations:
tier:
tag: tier
value: optional
justification:
tag: justification
value: A derived product can carry restrictions from its inputs even when
its own license is permissive; without recording them, a deposit may violate
an upstream license — for example by redistributing grids the source forbids
sharing. An explicit empty list positively asserts that nothing passes through.
explanation:
tag: explanation
value: Datasets built from other datasets can inherit rules from their ingredients,
the way a recipe using someone's secret sauce may come with strings attached.
This slot lists any such inherited rules so nobody accidentally breaks them
when sharing the result.
description: Constraints from any input source that pass through to the deposit.
title: Inherited Redistribution Constraints
examples:
- value: no redistribution of raw PRISM grids
description: one inherited pass-through constraint (list element); an empty
list is also valid and asserts that no constraints pass through
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
see_also:
- https://spdx.org/licenses/
owner: DepositMetadata
domain_of:
- DepositMetadata
range: string
multivalued: true
recommended_citation:
name: recommended_citation
annotations:
tier:
tag: tier
value: optional
justification:
tag: justification
value: 'A ready-made citation lowers the barrier to correct attribution: without
it, reusers assemble citations by hand, producing inconsistent references
that break citation tracking and deprive the producers of credit for the
deposit.'
explanation:
tag: explanation
value: This is the one-line "how to credit us" text, like the suggested citation
on the back of a report. Anyone reusing the dataset can copy it verbatim
into their paper.
description: One-line recommended citation derived from the slots above.
title: Recommended Citation
examples:
- value: EnVar exposure record for cohort:phoenix_aki_2022 daily Tmax (Daymet
V4), 2026. Deposited at Zenodo, doi:10.5281/zenodo.9999999.
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
owner: DepositMetadata
domain_of:
- DepositMetadata
range: string
dcat_distribution_url:
name: dcat_distribution_url
annotations:
tier:
tag: tier
value: optional
justification:
tag: justification
value: 'This is the machine-actionable download hook for data catalogues:
with it, the deposit can be indexed and fetched by DCAT-speaking catalogue
software without human mediation. Without it, the record is findable by
humans (via the DOI) but invisible to automated catalogue harvesting.'
explanation:
tag: explanation
value: DCAT is a standard way for data catalogues — searchable indexes of
datasets, like a library catalogue — to describe where a file can be downloaded.
This slot holds that direct download address so catalogue software can list
and fetch the data automatically.
description: DCAT-compatible distribution URL for catalogue integration.
title: Data-Catalog (DCAT) Distribution URL
examples:
- value: https://zenodo.org/record/9999999/files/tmax_phoenix.parquet
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
see_also:
- https://www.w3.org/TR/vocab-dcat-3/
owner: DepositMetadata
domain_of:
- DepositMetadata
range: uri
dcat_distribution_url_missing_reason:
name: dcat_distribution_url_missing_reason
annotations:
tier:
tag: tier
value: optional
justification:
tag: justification
value: Records whether the absence of a catalogue link is deliberate (the
record is simply not catalogued) or a gap to be filled, so automated FAIR-ness
assessments do not misreport an intentional omission as missing metadata.
explanation:
tag: explanation
value: If there is no catalogue download link, this slot explains why — usually
because the dataset was never registered in a data catalogue at all.
description: Reason `dcat_distribution_url` is null.
title: Reason Distribution URL Is Missing
examples:
- value: not_applicable
description: the record is not registered in a DCAT catalogue
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
owner: DepositMetadata
domain_of:
- DepositMetadata
range: MissingReasonEnum
See Also
Identifier and Mapping Information
Annotations
| property | value |
|---|---|
| domain_of_use | environmental_exposure |
Schema Source
- from schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
Mappings
| Mapping Type | Mapped Value |
|---|---|
| self | envar:DepositMetadata |
| native | envar:DepositMetadata |