Who We Are & How to Join

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Platform MaterialDigital (PMD)

Platform MaterialDigital (PMD) is a collaborative digitalization initiative launched in July 2019 with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Its primary mission is to establish a virtual materials data space that systematizes the handling of hierarchical, process-dependent materials data while ensuring semantic interoperability across decentralized and diverse servers. Rather than acting as a direct service provider, PMD focuses on developing prototype infrastructures and tool solutions to drive the digital transformation in materials science and engineering. It serves as a networking hub and communication interface (organizing webinars, events, and outreach activities) to connect stakeholders and foster collaboration between academic and industrial partners, ultimately strengthening Germany’s international competitiveness in materials digitalization.

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Semantic interoperability working group

The Semantic Interoperability Team within the Platform MaterialDigital (PMD) plays a key role in ensuring standardized, cross-domain data integration and communication across materials science initiatives. As the platform’s primary semantic backbone, the team is responsible for the development and maintenance of PMDco, the core ontology of PMD.

Their work focuses on creating and sustaining frameworks that represent materials data in a consistent and meaningful way, enabling experimental, simulation, and characterization data to be linked, interpreted, and reused without ambiguity. To achieve this, they collaborate closely with ontology experts and materials science specialists to harmonize data models, establish metadata standards, and embed FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles throughout the PMD infrastructure.

In addition, the team facilitates active knowledge exchange across the consortium by managing open communication channels and community forums. These spaces allow members to share expertise, address modeling challenges, and propose improvements, ensuring that the platform continuously evolves in response to emerging needs and technological advancements.

Contribute to PMDco Development

We welcome contributions to the Platform MaterialDigital core ontology (PMDco)!

To get involved:

  • Visit our GitHub repository: Explore the latest developments and ongoing discussions.
  • Create an issue: Report bugs, suggest improvements, or request new features.
  • Discuss in the discussion forum: Write about your specific modeling concerns, or any other discussable topics.

Participate in our PMD Playground Meetings

Our Ontology Playground, organized online every second Friday from 1-2 pm (CET), is a great opportunity to connect with developers and our proactive community to shape the PMDco. Please register via our mailing list.

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