Promote interoperability by requiring the use of semantic (including ontologies and scientific terminology), legal (rights of use), and technical (such as machine readability) standards as appropriate.
Interoperability
About
Implementation options
Interoperability ensures seamless data sharing, discoverability, and reusability across repositories, disciplines, and international infrastructures.
Key actions to be undertaken to achieve interoperability include:
- Mandating metadata interoperability: This could be implemented by encouraging repositories and data service providers to adopt OpenAIRE Guidelines for metadata interoperability.
- It also involves the use of persistent identifiers (PIDs) such as Digial Object Identifier (DOIs), Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCIDs), and Reserach Organisation Registry (RORs) to standardize research object referencing. It entails the use of qualified references between different research output
Main hurdles and risks
The main hurdles in implementing this provision include:
- Scientific disciplines have diverse and often conflicting requirements for ontologies, vocabularies, and metadata standards, making universal adoption challenging.
- Developing and maintaining FAIR-compliant vocabularies, tools, and infrastructure requires substantial funding and technical expertise, which are often limited.
- Many researchers have not fully adopted FAIR principles due to incomplete or complex tools and the additional effort required for compliance.
- Existing standards and vocabularies vary in maturity and consistency, and achieving interoperability across diverse repositories requires extensive coordination.
- Implementing machine-readable standards, persistent identifiers, and robust metadata frameworks often involves intricate and time-intensive technical processes.
- Harmonising national and sector-specific initiatives with global frameworks, such as those promoted by Committee on Data of the International Science Council -ISC (CODATA) and the Research Data Alliance (RDA), requires sustained collaboration and flexibility.
