# ISO/IEC 11179 data element representation ### ISO 11179-3 standard specification ISO 11179-3 is an international standard for metadata registries that defines the technical, structural and governance requirements for describing data in a reusable way. It promotes an increased understanding of data and harmonisation of data within organisations and across organisations. The ISO/IEC 11179-3 standard specifies attributes which are required to describe metadata items within a registry, including Data Elements. ### ISO 11179-3 standard specification for Data elements #### What is a Data Element? A Data Element defines how a piece of data is recorded for a specific set of objects (or items of interest), using reusable metadata components. A Data Element is composed of a Data Element Concept, which describes the meaning of the data, and a Value Domain which describes how the data is recorded. The ISO 11179-3 model for data elements displays the relationship between the data element components, as shown below: --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://help.aristotlemetadata.com/subject-matter-and-theory/iso-iec-11179-data-element-representation.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.