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Metadata, Terminology & Interoperability

Create more coherence, consistency and exchangeability in your collection data. A strong foundation in metadata, terminology and interoperability makes collections easier to search, better connected and better prepared for collaboration, reuse and digital access.

Good metadata is essential for managing, understanding and providing access to collections. At the same time, metadata rarely stands alone. The quality of collection data is also linked to the terminology used, the way concepts are connected and the extent to which systems and standards align. In practice, terms, descriptions and data structures have often grown historically. This can create differences in wording, field values and classification, both within one institution and across collections and systems.

With Metadata, Terminology & Interoperability, we help you structure collection data more strongly and make it future-proof. We support metadata enrichment, normalisation and linking, the development of terminology structures, and the connection of data to external sources and standards.

This may include improving descriptions, normalising field values, building a thesaurus, making relationships between concepts visible, or connecting collection data to external knowledge sources such as Wikidata, AAT or the NDE Term Network. We also support the application of Linked Open Data principles and standards such as IIIF.

A strong terminology and metadata structure helps connect objects, images, documents and themes. It strengthens internal registration quality and improves the way users navigate, search and make connections across collections.

Interoperability means that data is not locked into one system or context, but becomes easier to exchange and reuse. Shared standards, vocabularies and open structures create a durable basis for collaboration, migration, aggregation and presentation.

What it delivers

More consistent metadata
Improve the quality and coherence of descriptions, terms and field values.

Better findability
Make objects, documents and images easier to search by content, subject and context.

A stronger terminology base
Work with thesauri, relationships and controlled vocabularies that structure your collection.

More interoperability
Make data easier to exchange between systems, platforms and heritage networks.

Better alignment with standards and external sources
Connect collection data to sources such as Wikidata, AAT and the NDE Term Network, and work with standards such as IIIF and Linked Open Data.

Sustainable digital access
Create a future-proof basis for migration, reuse, aggregation and public-facing applications.

Solutions in this category

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Enrichment

Automatically enrich collection and archive data with relevant metadata based on the content of objects, documents, audio and video. Collections become easier to search, more consistently described and more useful for management, research and public access.

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Thesaurus

We help museums, archives and heritage organisations develop a full, modularly expandable thesaurus. This creates a sustainable terminology foundation that makes collections more accessible, reveals relationships and can be shared more broadly through the NDE Term Network.

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Relationships

Create more coherence in your collection by making broader, narrower and related terms visible. This improves collection structures, enriches metadata and supports consistent exhibition narratives.

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Standards

We help connect collection data to external sources such as Wikidata, AAT and the Term Network. Objects become easier to find, better connected and more searchable across collections. Linked Open Data and standards such as IIIF create a collection that is more richly described and better aligned with broader heritage information networks.