SRD Definition Per Public Laws

In 1968, Congress passed the Standard Reference Data Act, a law that authorized and directed the Secretary of the Department of Commerce to provide or arrange for the collection, compilation, critical evaluation, publication, and dissemination of SRD. The definition of SRD was limited, and in 2017 Congress passed the Standard Reference Data Act Update with an expanded definition of SRD.

SRD means data that is–

(A) either–

1. quantitative information related to a measurable physical, or chemical, or biological property of a substance or system of substances of known composition and structure;
2. measurable characteristics of a physical artifact or artifacts;
3. engineering properties or performance characteristics of a system; or
4. one or more digital data objects that serve–
   1. to calibrate or characterize the performance of a detection or measurement system; or
   2. to interpolate or extrapolate, or both, data described in 1-3; and

(B) that is critically evaluated as to its reliability under section 290b of this title.

       Digital data objects may include fingerprints, personal identity verification cards, videos, models, and software.