OSTrails has set the ambitious goal of delivering a FAIR-enhanced, interconnected and machine actionable environment along with the pathways to navigate scientific information shared across services that enable and support planning, tracking and assessing research activities. To realise this, our efforts in the first six months of the project’s establishment have concentrated on understanding the technical capabilities and limitations towards harmonisation of information and practices shared between service providers of SKGs, DMP platforms, and FAIR assessment tools.

More specifically, the consortium has made significant progress in identifying the pathways and drafting the Interoperability Reference Architecture (IRA). Pathways, highlighted in D1.1. Plan-Track-Assess Pathways, are essential blueprints that outline the interactions between DMPs, SKGs and FAIR assessment tools, depicting the sequence of steps and processes required to achieve effective integration and functionality. These pathways help us understand and document the flow of data and operations, ensuring that all components of OSTrails can interact seamlessly to deliver optimal value to researchers, data managers, and other stakeholders.

Our preliminary results depict both the actions that users of the services perform and of the interactions of the services in exchanging information and automating their workflows. So far, three main pathways were identified:

_{Generic pathways diagram.}

• Plan - Focuses on refining the creation and assessment of Data Management Plans (DMPs), enhancing integration with Scientific Knowledge Graphs (SKGs) and repositories, and improving metadata evaluation.
• Track - Utilizes SKGs to monitor and evaluate the FAIRness of research outputs, recommending better tracking functionalities and integration with DMP platforms and FAIR assessment tools.
• Assess - Emphasizes comprehensive evaluation tools for DMPs and research outputs, ensuring interoperability with SKGs and repositories, and offering both automated and manual assessment options.

The Interoperability Reference Architecture (IRA), discussed in M4. Interim Products Establishment for Cross-Task Collaboration, complements these pathways by providing a detailed framework that specifies the technical standards and protocols needed to achieve interoperability among these different components. This framework involves developing three key APIs for accessing machine-actionable Data Management Plans (DMPs), Scientific Knowledge Graphs (SKGs), and FAIR assessment tools. The project incorporates insights from other EOSC projects and communities like the Research Data Alliance (RDA) to ensure alignment with current standards. The first stable draft of this architecture is expected to be completed by month 12 of the project.

_{Current draft of the OSTrails architecture depicting three main components and showing the role of Interoperability Frameworks.}

The IRA serves as a comprehensive guide for developers and integrators, ensuring that all tools and services can communicate and work together without technical barriers. By establishing a robust IRA, we lay the groundwork for a cohesive and efficient system where SKGs, DMP platforms, and FAIR assessment tools can operate in harmony, facilitating enhanced data management and scientific knowledge sharing.

Lastly, we established a glossary (detailed in M3. Methodology Establishment) to achieve consensus on the definitions of terms and concepts used within the project. This tool captures existing terminology, but also serves as an index of new terminology that our project generates ensuring that all stakeholders have a common understanding and can communicate and collaborate effectively.

Learn more by reading our deliverables and milestones reports (D1.1. Plan-Track-Assess Pathways, M4. Interim Products Establishment for Cross-Task Collaboration, M3. Methodology Establishment)  and stay tuned for more updates as we continue to make progress in our mission to enhance data management and scientific knowledge sharing.