The metadata catalog will serve as a central resource describing available datasets in the German healthcare sector and identifying the respective dataholders. The catalog itself does not contain health data but provides an overview of existing data, helping users to efficiently find relevant datasets and submit applications accordingly.

Health DCAT-AP

The metadata catalog will be based on Health DCAT-AP, a standard developed within the HealthData@EU Pilot Project for describing health data in the EHDS. DCAT-AP is an existing metadata standard that has now been expanded to include health data. The latest specifications can be found on the official GitHub page for Health DCAT-AP.

The adoption of Health DCAT-AP ensures compliance with key European regulations, including the EHDS Regulation, the Data Governance Act (DGA), and the High-Value-Dataset Regulation. This standard will be used across Europe, including on central EU platforms. Health DCAT-AP enables the consistent and transparent description of health data, making access and use within the EHDS more efficient while ensuring adherence to EU legal requirements.