• Status: Granted (SC)
  • Since: 13-02-2026
Co-Chairs
Proposal
Task Areas

Metadata as .ttl

The TWG VocFlow is dedicated to the organisational and procedural aspects of publishing and sustainably maintaining domain-specific vocabularies within NFDI4Objects.

While many initiatives within the consortium have primarily focused on technical standards and tools – such as SKOS, JSKOS, vocabulary servers, or mapping tools – VocFlow addresses a different but equally critical dimension: the processes and workflows required to prepare institutionally maintained vocabularies for public release.

Objectives and Focus

VocFlow explores the organisational framework of vocabulary work and addresses key questions such as:

  • How can a vocabulary that has been maintained internally for years be prepared for public publication?
  • Which strategic considerations should precede technical implementation?
  • What are the necessary workflow steps, and in what sequence should they be carried out?
  • How should editorial teams be structured, and which roles and responsibilities are required?
  • How can long-term maintenance and sustainable updates be ensured?

Approach and Methodology

The working group builds on practical use cases from within the consortium, such as the publication of established vocabularies from conservation documentation and primary documentation in the vocabulary server DANTE.

Based on these case studies, VocFlow aims to identify transferable workflow patterns and best-practice principles that can serve as guidance for future publication projects.

A key methodological element consists of structured interviews with experienced project participants. These interviews are intended to document decision-making processes, strategic considerations, and practical experiences in detail.

Expected Outcomes

The primary outcome of VocFlow will be a white paper in workbook format. This publication will outline recommended workflows and provide structured guidance for planning, releasing, and maintaining vocabularies in an organised and sustainable manner.

The results of the working group will be made openly available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License for the NFDI community and beyond.

Contact:

If you have any questions or are interested in working with us, please contact the two chairs of the TWG, Dr. Michael Markert (Verbundzentrale des GBV) and Anja Gerber (Klassik Stiftung Weimar).

Mailing list: https://www.listserv.dfn.de/sympa/info/n4o_twg_vocflow

Rocket Chat: https://n4o-chat.nfdi.de/channel/TWG-VocFlow