Core activities

"Indexing" means to use appropriate methods to collect and structure data and documents in such a way that the relevant information they contain can be found and made available for use in a targeted manner. Indexing can be done intellectually and/or automatically. A distinction is made between formal and content-related indexing: formal indexing assigns formal characteristics to the sources (data and documents), e. g. title, author, Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Content-related indexing adds additional factual features, e. g. abstract, classifications and keywords. In both cases, metadata are generated. In addition, special entities are standardized. In recent years, we have already increasingly used automatic methods that were developed and tested in research. This trend will intensify in the future.

We develop innovative information services that we operate in a secure, high-performance and highly available IT infrastructure. Development and operation are a strategic resource for FIZ Karlsruhe as the Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure. We do not only use these resources for our own information services such as zbMATH Open, but also in co-operations with partners and customers, e. g. DDB, Kompetenzzentrum Bibliometrie or Thieme-connect.

Our teams consist of data analysts, requirements analysts, software architects, software developers, test managers, administrators and project managers. The close collaboration between all parties involved ensures that software and IT infrastructure are optimally coordinated and that we meet the requirements of our customers and projects in the best possible way.

We conduct research in order to fulfil our tasks at a high level of quality and in line with our customers’ requirements, and to continue to position ourselves convincingly in a national and international environment. We seize the opportunities arising from the rapid technological development.  A major challenge in this respect is to be able to identify and meet user requirements in this highly dynamic environment at an early stage. Research results enable us to further develop our products and services in a user-oriented manner and beyond the current state of the art, to comprehensively index and network information, and to make our internal production processes more efficient.

We advise our users and customers on our products and services, and politicians on information infrastructure issues.

Customer and user advice

Advice on the efficient and effective use of our products and services is an important component of our offer. It is a key feature that distinguishes us from the competition and has gained in importance over the recent years.

Policy advice

The importance of scientific policy advice for political decisions has greatly increased. The reasons lie in the increasing complexity of the decisions to be taken in government action on the one hand and in the need for knowledge-based, appropriate policy on the other. Scientific policy advice cannot and must not replace political decisions and general social discourse, but it can initiate, critically accompany and make recommendations. FIZ Karlsruhe has made a name for itself in policy consulting on information infrastructures. For many years, FIZ Karlsruhe has been involved in important committees, working groups, and expert councils on a honorary basis.