Gregory, A., & Hodson, S. (2026). CDIF4EOSC Response to the EOSC Semantic Interoperability Task Force Report ‘Practical Semantic Interoperability Recommendations for the EOSC Federation’ https://doi.org/10.5281/
Writing on behalf of the CDIF4EOSC project, we are very pleased to see the recent publication of “Practical Semantic Interoperability Recommendations for the EOSC Federation” from the EOSC-A Semantic Interoperability Task Force (SITF). This work complements the recent and ongoing developments around the Cross-Domain Interoperability Framework (CDIF), notably as it will be employed within EOSC to facilitate the use of FAIR data and related resources.
This short response highlights the points where CDIF is recommended by SITF and the considerable alignment between the SITF recommendations and CDIF.
It should be understood that while the SITF suggests specific standards, CDIF is more detailed, providing implementation guidance at the level of the fields which are required or recommended for implementation of specific functions within systems. Thus, the two sets of guidelines are made at different levels: the SITF recommendation will suggest the use of a specific standard, while the CDIF profiles will provide guidance about exactly how that standard should be implemented. The SITF recommendations and those from CDIF are complementary in a fundamental way, providing a solid basis for interoperability through both the selection and implementation of the best-of-breed FAIR standards.
EOSC demands broad interoperability across a huge number of data sources if it is to realise its full potential. The alignment between the “Practical Semantic Interoperability Recommendations for the EOSC Federation” and the work within CDIF4EOSC promises to meet this need.