From Scientific Data to Scientific Knowledge: Building Knowledge Infrastructures for BESSY III

Historically, synchrotron facilities have primarily acted as producers of scientific data. With increasing data volumes, advances in AI capabilities and the maturation of data infrastructures, the transition to a fourth-generation light source can be understood not only as an upgrade in accelerator infrastructure, but also as a facility transition to a fourth-generation knowledge infrastructure. Rather than the historical model of generating data, BESSY III could take the unique opportunity to support the production of machine-actionable scientific knowledge. Due to the unique combination provided by the HZB of a large-scale user facility with active research programmes and laboratories in energy and information science, BESSY III is particularly well positioned to capitalise on this transformation. It can provide integrated laboratory-to-synchrotron and synchrotron-to-laboratory workflows both on-site and in situ, linking experimental acquisition, materials synthesis, simulation, analysis and reuse workflows. In doing so, BESSY III has the potential to connect traditionally separate research environments. Achieving this requires infrastructure capable of connecting diverse scientific domains while preserving their domain-specific requirements. This is the same challenge addressed by the Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration (HMC) which connects traditionally separate research domains. The architectural similarities between these two environments place HMC in a unique position to contribute to the development of knowledge infrastructures for BESSY III. Through training, consulting, the Helmholtz Knowledge Graph and a portfolio of interoperability-focused projects, HMC has been developing the capabilities required to connect data, workflows and scientific context across diverse research domains while preserving domain-specific requirements. These same capabilities can help BESSY III connect laboratories, beamlines, users and scientific communities into an integrated knowledge ecosystem. This contribution discusses how these developments can enable BESSY III to become not only a fourth-generation light source, but also a fourth-generation knowledge infrastructure.