The Schema Project

The reference point for enabling semantic interoperability in data interchange between entities using shared data models.

What does semantic interoperability mean?

Let's imagine that the exchange of data between systems is comparable to the exchange of a message: By using shared templates on Schema, the meaning of any data or information exchanged will be correctly understood by the recipient.

What is Schema

Schema is the national catalog of data semantics that collects and organizes a wide range of semantic resources of national relevance, including data schemas, ontologies and controlled vocabularies, making them easily accessible to all those who develop APIs (programming interfaces).

The values of Schema

Sharing and understanding data

It promotes the use of shared and standardized semantic resources, facilitating the understanding and exchange of information between different public administrations.

Improving data quality

Enables data integration, including open data, and improves data quality.

Semantically and syntactically interoperable API creation

It enriches APIs with shared semantic resources by enabling interaction between the semantic layer and the technical layer of interoperability.

To whom it is addressed

Subjects who use the resources of the catalogue

Anyone who wants to reuse catalog resources for the development of their own applications or research.

Contributors of semantic resources

Public and private entities that feed the catalog with the semantic resources that represent their reference application field.

What Schema offers

Semantic resources

Research and use multiple resources, such as controlled vocabularies, ontologies and data schemas, to represent data with semantics and make interchange semantically interoperable.

Semantic tools

The tools to access the semantic resources of the catalog and to validate them. Validation concerns both the general description or metadatatation of semantic resources, and the structure in the case of API schemas.

Support to institutions

Support for creating semantic resources that represent the data of a reference application domain, see the contact section.

Institutions involved

As part of the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), the project stems from the collaboration between the Department for Digital Transformation, ISTAT, the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the CNR and AGID. The Department (owner of the measure), has entrusted ISTAT with the implementation of the project, while the domain expert bodies are responsible and owners of the published content.

Legal background

The project is part of a European and national regulatory framework that promotes semantic interoperability in public administration.

European Interoperability Framework (EIF)

Adopted by Communication COM(2017) 134, defines the Basic principles and levels of interoperability at European level, introducing the four levels of interoperability (technical, semantic, legal and organisational). Recognizes in the semantic level, based on Shared vocabularies and data models, the necessary condition for the information exchanged to retain the same meaning between the sender and the recipient.

Public Administration Interoperability Model (ModI)

Reference act of the Three-Year Plan for Informatics in Public Administration, identifies the technologies and standards that administrations must adopt for the implementation of their IT systems. These include: “Communication between entities must use shared data models, so as to rationalise and standardise the representation of information, as a precondition for promotinginteroperability between different subjects."

Digital Administration Code (CAD)

Article 50-ter the CAD Discipline development and implementation of the National Digital Data Platform (PDND), aimed at sharing data between authorised entities and simplifying administrative procedures for citizens and businesses.

Three-year IT plan

Strategic and operational guidance document for public ICT, defined by the Department for Digital Transformation and AgID. Dedicate to areas "Data" e "Interoperability" specific objectives and actions, including the adoption of Controlled vocabularies and shared data models and the implementation of the Interoperability Model (ModI), which the Schema catalogue helps to achieve.