Overview
ISO/IEC 11179-34:2024 defines a metamodel extension for Metadata Registries (MDR) to support registration of computable data - metadata that describe executable data pipelines, inputs, outputs, tools and execution environments. As an extension to ISO/IEC 11179-3, this part enables recording machine-actionable manifests for pipelines and computation steps to improve reproducibility, provenance and interoperability of computational workflows across platforms and organizations.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Metamodel extension: Adds the Computable_Data package and classes (e.g., Computable_Data, pipeline, computation step, computation execution environment) to the MDR metamodel.
- Metadata elements: Supports registration of inputs, outputs, parameters, tool versions, environment configuration and relationships between steps to capture full pipeline semantics.
- Representation and specification: Uses UML class diagrams and textual descriptions to specify classes, associations and datatypes; includes normative and informative annexes (class hierarchies, examples).
- Conformance rules: Defines strictly conforming and conforming implementation levels, feature‑level conformance, and requires an Implementation Conformance Statement (ICS).
- Registry profiles and labels: Introduces standard profiles - Computable data Registry and Computable data Registry with mapping - which extend ISO/IEC 11179-3 profiles; conformance labels may be claimed accordingly.
- Interoperability and mapping: Includes a mapping to IEEE 2791-2020 (bioinformatics workflow standard) and references common metadata standards (JSON, ORCID, PAV) to facilitate cross-domain exchange.
- Practical modeling constructs: Specifies datatypes, associations, and package dependencies needed to record computable data in an MDR.
Applications and who should use it
ISO/IEC 11179-34 is intended for organizations and professionals who need standardized, machine-readable metadata for computational workflows:
- Research institutions and data stewards seeking reproducible, verifiable computational experiments.
- Bioinformatics and scientific platforms managing complex pipelines and versioned tools.
- Regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies requiring consistent documentation of computational analyses for submission and audit.
- Software vendors and MDR implementers building registries that store computable-data manifests and enable interoperability.
- Data managers and archivists who implement provenance, FAIR data principles, and long-term preservation of computational artifacts.
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 11179-3 - base metamodel for registry common facilities (required companion).
- IEEE 2791-2020 - bioinformatics workflow metadata (mapping provided in Annex A).
- References to JSON, ORCID and PAV for common metadata practices.
This standard enhances metadata registries with a focused metamodel for computable data registration, supporting reproducibility, provenance tracking and interoperable exchange of workflow metadata across domains.
Open preview (PDF)Information technology — Metadata registries (MDR) — Part 34: Metamodel for computable data registration
