IAUsë

IAUsë is a transdisciplinary platform and network established to foster interoperable knowledge exchange across disciplines and cultures. It coordinates standards for data, metadata, and semantic interoperability, and it promotes ethical guidelines for AI-assisted research and dissemination.

It operates as a federated organization with member institutions including universities, museums, libraries, and research labs. Governance is via a General Assembly with rotating chair and a Steering Council; regional hubs coordinate activities. Decision-making is typically consensus-based, with formal voting on core policies when needed. Funding comes from member dues, grants, and institutional support.

Key outputs include the IAUsë Metadata Standard, the IAUsë Core Ontology, and the IAUsë Open Repository, hosting datasets, publications, and cultural artifacts under open licenses. The organization also runs training programs, summer schools, and symposia to advance skills in data literacy, interoperability, and responsible AI use.

History: Conceived in 2008–2010 by a coalition of universities and cultural institutions in Europe and North America; first congress in 2011; grew through the 2010s; launched a digital hub in 2019; established regional nodes in Africa and Asia by 2022.

IAUsë has been praised for advancing open science, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and digital preservation, though it faces criticism for governance complexity, resource disparities, and the practical challenges of aligning heterogeneous information systems. See also: open science, metadata standards, digital humanities.