Since 2023, the Historical Data Centre Saxony-Anhalt (HistData-MLU) has been establishing a GND agency for historical science as part of the NFDI4Memory consortium. The aim is to support researchers, memory institutions and citizen science communities in the structured modelling, networking and sustainable use of historical research data.
The project builds on HistData-MLU’s many years of expertise in processing and modelling large historical data sets. The FactGrid research data platform, a Wikibase instance for collaborative, ‘living’ research data, plays a central role in this. Here, historical information is structured, linked and compared with standard data – in particular the Common Standard File.
The infrastructure is already being used intensively: between March 2023 and October 2025, the team conducted more than 350 consultations on historical data modelling and research data management. At the same time, over a million data sets were integrated into FactGrid and almost 2,000 data sets were archived for the long term via Radar4Memory.
In addition, HistData-MLU develops controlled vocabularies and tools for standardising historical data, such as job titles, place names and first names. These resources enable the matching of large data sets, improve data quality and support the transfer of relevant data records to the GND.
As an integral part of NFDI4Memory, HistData-MLU strengthens the digital research infrastructure for historical studies. By combining data modelling, standard data work and the FactGrid platform, historical research data is better networked, easier to find and more reusable. The GND Agency at HistData-MLU thus contributes significantly to the sustainable integration of historical data into the national research data infrastructure.
More information:
- https://zenodo.org/records/17708554
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