VECTOR
Vertical Interoperability
Data that keeps its meaning as it moves through the research lifecycle, so the next researcher can understand it and reuse it with confidence.
What it means
Most interoperability work is about moving data across a boundary: between systems, institutions or partners. Vertical interoperability is about time and the research lifecycle. Data is collected, extracted, analyzed, shared and reused, often years apart and by different people. At each step, the definitions, methodological choices and decisions that shaped the data need to stay with it, as they stood when the data was produced, or the meaning is lost.
- Planning
- Collection
- Extraction
- Analysis
- Sharing
- Reuse
Who we are
VECTOR is a working group of researchers, data stewards and research software engineers formed at a 2026 workshop on vertical interoperability. We work on the concepts, training and community resources that make research data reusable across its whole lifecycle.
Coming soon
Publications, events and resources from the group will be posted here.