Enhancing FAIR Principles via Metadata: The Dublin Core Journey

The FAIR principles—Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability—are essential for maximizing the value of resources in today's data-driven world. Metadata serves as the cornerstone in achieving these principles, providing structure and meaning to data. This keynote will trace the evolution of metadata, from its origins in ancient civilizations using clay tablets to its critical role in contemporary large-scale AI systems. It will highlight the Dublin Core's contributions to advancing FAIR principles, demonstrating its reliability as a metadata standard. The talk will also introduce the latest initiative from DCMI: the Dublin Core Tabular Application Profiles (DCTAP). Through practical examples, it will showcase how DCTAP extends beyond data integration and interoperability to align with the goals of the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI), offering a forward-thinking approach to metadata and resource management.