Reference Data Service (RDS)

The Swiss Art Research Infrastructure (SARI) is building the next iteration of its Reference Data Service (RDS), designed to enhance and transform how museums and collections manage, connect, share, and reuse their knowledge.

Across the humanities, valuable knowledge is often fragmented across multiple specialized data sources, making it difficult for researchers and institutions to connect, interpret, and fully leverage reference data. SARI addresses this challenge by creating a unified environment that brings together diverse existing datasets and links them into a coherent, interoperable network specifically targeting users in museums and collections. 

At the core of the project is a central Reference Data Service (RDS) that enables consistent identification of people, places, objects, and concepts across collections and disciplines. By connecting authoritative data sources and enriching them through semantic linking, SARI allows users to explore information in context, resolve ambiguities, and access richer, multilingual knowledge. This interconnected approach not only enhances data quality and discoverability but also opens new possibilities for research, collaboration, and digital innovation. Institutions can integrate their own data seamlessly, while users benefit from more intuitive search, deeper insights, and improved access to Switzerland’s cultural and scholarly resources.

By turning isolated datasets into a shared network of semantic data, SARI is laying the foundation for a more open, connected, and future-ready research infrastructure designed to grow with its community and support the next generation of digital humanities applications.