diff --git a/data/Makefile.am b/data/Makefile.am
index 1bf95cd2b9..096ba7c319 100644
--- a/data/Makefile.am
+++ b/data/Makefile.am
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ DATAPATH = $(top_srcdir)/data
 
 pkgdata_DATA = GL27 nad.lst nad27 nad83 world other.extra \
 		CH null \
-		ITRF2000 ITRF2008 ITRF2014 proj.db
+		ITRF2000 ITRF2008 ITRF2014 proj.db \
+		crsjson.schema.json
 
 SQL_ORDERED_LIST = sql/begin.sql \
 		sql/proj_db_table_defs.sql \
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ EXTRA_DIST = GL27 nad.lst nad27 nad83 \
 		world other.extra \
 		CH \
 		ITRF2000 ITRF2008 ITRF2014 \
+		crsjson.schema.json \
 		CMakeLists.txt tests/test_nodata.gtx null \
 		generate_all_sql_in.cmake sql_filelist.cmake \
 		$(SQL_ORDERED_LIST)
diff --git a/data/crsjson.schema.json b/data/crsjson.schema.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..39538c37f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/data/crsjson.schema.json
@@ -0,0 +1,291 @@
+{
+  "$id": "https://proj.org/crsjson.schema.json",
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
+  "description": "Schema for CRS JSON",
+
+  "oneOf": [
+    { "$ref": "#/definitions/crs" },
+    { "$ref": "#/definitions/datum" },
+    { "$ref": "#/definitions/ellipsoid" }
+  ],
+
+  "definitions": {
+
+    "axis": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "properties": {
+        "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["Axis"] },
+        "name": { "type": "string" },
+        "abbreviation": { "type": "string" },
+        "direction": { "type": "string" },
+        "unit": { "$ref": "#/definitions/unit" },
+        "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+      },
+      "required" : [ "name" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "bbox": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "properties": {
+        "east_longitude": { "type": "number" },
+        "west_longitude": { "type": "number" },
+        "south_latitude": { "type": "number" },
+        "north_latitude": { "type": "number" }
+      },
+      "required" : [ "east_longitude", "west_longitude",
+                     "south_latitude", "north_latitude" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "conversion": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "properties": {
+        "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["Conversion"] },
+        "name": { "type": "string" },
+        "method": { "$ref": "#/definitions/method" },
+        "parameters": {
+            "type": "array",
+            "items": { "$ref": "#/definitions/parameter_value" }
+        },
+        "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+      },
+      "required" : [ "name", "method", "parameters" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "coordinate_system": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "properties": {
+        "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["CoordinateSystem"] },
+        "subtype": { "type": "string" },
+        "axis": {
+            "type": "array",
+            "items": { "$ref": "#/definitions/axis" }
+        },
+        "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+      },
+      "required" : [ "subtype", "axis" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "crs": {
+      "oneOf": [
+        { "$ref": "#/definitions/geodetic_crs" },
+        { "$ref": "#/definitions/derived_crs" }
+      ]
+    },
+
+    "datum": {
+      "oneOf": [ { "$ref": "#/definitions/geodetic_reference_frame" } ]
+    },
+
+    "derived_crs": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "allOf": [{ "$ref": "#/definitions/object_usage" }],
+      "properties": {
+        "type": { "type": "string",
+                  "enum": ["ProjectedCRS", "DerivedGeodeticCRS",
+                           "DerivedGeographicCRS"] },
+        "name": { "type": "string" },
+        "base_crs": { "$ref": "#/definitions/crs" },
+        "conversion": { "$ref": "#/definitions/conversion" },
+        "coordinate_system": { "$ref": "#/definitions/coordinate_system" },
+        "area": {},
+        "bbox": {},
+        "usages": {},
+        "remarks": {},
+        "id": {}
+     },
+     "required" : [ "name", "base_crs", "conversion", "coordinate_system" ],
+     "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "ellipsoid": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "oneOf":[
+        {
+          "properties": {
+            "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["Ellipsoid"] },
+            "name": { "type": "string" },
+            "semi_major_axis": { "$ref": "#/definitions/value_and_unit" },
+            "semi_minor_axis": { "$ref": "#/definitions/value_and_unit" },
+            "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+          },
+          "required" : [ "name", "semi_major_axis", "semi_minor_axis" ],
+          "additionalProperties": false
+        },
+        {
+          "properties": {
+            "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["Ellipsoid"] },
+            "name": { "type": "string" },
+            "semi_major_axis": { "$ref": "#/definitions/value_and_unit" },
+            "inverse_flattening": { "type": "number" },
+            "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+          },
+          "required" : [ "name", "semi_major_axis", "inverse_flattening" ],
+          "additionalProperties": false
+        },
+        {
+          "properties": {
+            "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["Ellipsoid"] },
+            "name": { "type": "string" },
+            "radius": { "$ref": "#/definitions/value_and_unit" },
+            "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+          },
+          "required" : [ "name", "radius" ],
+         "additionalProperties": false
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+
+    "geodetic_crs": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "allOf": [{ "$ref": "#/definitions/object_usage" }],
+      "properties": {
+        "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["GeodeticCRS", "GeographicCRS"] },
+        "name": { "type": "string" },
+        "datum": { "$ref": "#/definitions/datum" },
+        "coordinate_system": { "$ref": "#/definitions/coordinate_system" },
+        "area": {},
+        "bbox": {},
+        "usages": {},
+        "remarks": {},
+        "id": {}
+      },
+      "required" : [ "name", "datum" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "geodetic_reference_frame": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "allOf": [{ "$ref": "#/definitions/object_usage" }],
+      "properties": {
+        "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["GeodeticReferenceFrame"] },
+        "name": { "type": "string" },
+        "anchor": { "type": "string" },
+        "ellipsoid": { "$ref": "#/definitions/ellipsoid" },
+        "prime_meridian": { "$ref": "#/definitions/prime_meridian" },
+        "area": {},
+        "bbox": {},
+        "usages": {},
+        "remarks": {},
+        "id": {}
+      },
+      "required" : [ "name", "ellipsoid" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "id": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "properties": {
+        "authority": { "type": "string" },
+        "code": {
+          "oneOf": [ { "type": "string" }, { "type": "integer" } ]
+        }
+      },
+      "required" : [ "authority", "code" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "method": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "properties": {
+        "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["OperationMethod"]},
+        "name": { "type": "string" },
+        "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+      },
+      "required" : [ "name" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "object_usage": {
+      "anyOf": [
+      {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "area": { "type": "string" },
+            "bbox": { "$ref": "#/definitions/bbox" },
+            "remarks": { "type": "string" },
+            "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+        }
+      },
+      {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "usages": { "$ref": "#/definitions/usages" },
+            "remarks": { "type": "string" },
+            "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+        }
+      }
+      ]
+    },
+
+    "parameter_value": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "properties": {
+        "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["ParameterValue"] },
+        "name": { "type": "string" },
+        "value": {
+          "oneOf": [
+            { "type": "string" },
+            { "type": "number" }
+           ]
+        },
+        "unit": { "$ref": "#/definitions/unit" },
+        "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+      },
+      "required" : [ "name", "value" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "prime_meridian": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "properties": {
+        "type": { "type": "string", "enum": ["PrimeMeridian"] },
+        "name": { "type": "string" },
+        "longitude": { "$ref": "#/definitions/value_and_unit" },
+        "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+      },
+      "required" : [ "name" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "unit": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "properties": {
+        "type": { "type": "string",
+                  "enum": ["LinearUnit", "AngularUnit", "ScaleUnit",
+                           "TimeUnit", "ParametricUnit", "Unit"] },
+        "name": { "type": "string" },
+        "conversion_factor": { "type": "number" },
+        "id": { "$ref": "#/definitions/id" }
+       },
+       "required" : [ "type", "name" ],
+       "additionalProperties": false
+    },
+
+    "usages": {
+        "type": "array",
+        "items": {
+          "type": "object",
+          "properties": {
+            "area": { "type": "string" },
+            "bbox": { "$ref": "#/definitions/bbox" }
+           },
+          "additionalProperties": false
+        }
+    },
+
+    "value_and_unit": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "properties": {
+        "value": { "type": "number" },
+        "unit": { "$ref": "#/definitions/unit" }
+      },
+      "required" : [ "value", "unit" ],
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    }
+
+  }
+}