Enhancing Data Efficiency - MISSION KI Develops Service Architecture for Data Exchange Using FAIR Digital Objects
To facilitate and accelerate systematic data exchange between different data sources and data spaces, MISSION KI is researching and testing the concept of FAIR Digital Objects (FDOs).
Building on the results of the first development phase, MISSION KI has commissioned a powerful consortium of 18 partners—led by the Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Göttingen (GWDG)—to develop an FDO service architecture. This new software environment aims to equip companies, research organizations, and public institutions with the necessary tools to prepare their data holdings in line with the FAIR principles: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.
During the first development phase, which ran from January to October 2024, a prototype infrastructure for using FDOs in data spaces was developed and implemented. The second phase, which began in May, now focuses on expanding the FDO infrastructure and validating it through practical use cases across various domains. To this end, a modular FDO service architecture is being built that will allow FDOs to be published, managed, and linked. In addition, a software tool is being developed to convert unstructured data into structured, machine-readable FDOs. This tool will then be tested using unstructured data from specific domains in concrete application scenarios. Finally, the FDO service architecture will be evaluated under business-related conditions. The project team is also developing concrete recommendations for the widespread adoption of FDOs.
Manfred Rauhmeier, Board Member at the acatech Foundation:
"To create a powerful data ecosystem, we need seamless data exchange between data spaces. The widespread adoption of FAIR Digital Objects offers a major opportunity to exchange data efficiently and securely. By unlocking data assets in this way, we are making our data economy future-ready, advancing AI innovation, and strengthening the competitiveness of our enterprises."
Dr. Sven Bingert, Project Manager at the Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Göttingen, added:
"The persistent identification of information, taking into account legal, trust-related, and technological aspects, is a necessary prerequisite for the future use of data by users and AI systems. Applying the FDO principles within a distributed architecture also enables new applications for data exchange and reuse, thereby increasing the value of data."
FDOs represent a new data standard that enables machine-readable, uniquely identifiable, and reusable data objects. This creates the technical foundation for more efficient data usage across system and organizational boundaries. FDOs help organizations comply with regulatory requirements. With standardized metadata and transparent access rights, they meet the requirements of the EU Data Act regarding data portability and the provisions of the Data Governance Act for secure data sharing across organizational boundaries.
By the end of October, the project partners aim to present their results and release the software package as open source. In the future, FDOs are expected to be used across administration, research, and industry. Furthermore, FDOs are intended to pave the way for scalable AI solutions with tangible societal benefits.
