NDE Compatibility
Our software is built to meet the requirements of the Dutch Digital Heritage Network (NDE). Below, we explain what the NDE is, what its requirements mean in practice, and how our products are ready to connect.
What is the Dutch Digital Heritage Network?
The Dutch Digital Heritage Network (Netwerk Digitaal Erfgoed, or NDE) is a collaboration between Dutch heritage institutions, including museums, archives, and libraries, with the goal of making digital heritage findable, accessible, and usable for everyone.
The NDE sets out a shared infrastructure and standards that heritage organisations can adopt. By connecting to this network, institutions make their collections available in a consistent, interoperable way, enabling researchers, educators, and the general public to discover and use heritage data across institutional boundaries.
The NDE also runs subsidy programmes such as Versnellen, which help heritage organisations accelerate their digital transformation.
What does NDE compatibility mean?
NDE compatibility means that a system can connect to the shared infrastructure of the Dutch Digital Heritage Network. To get there, the NDE describes five steps for making collections usable:
- Use durable identifiers: Give every object a permanent web address that stays valid, even when systems or websites change.
- Use standardised terms: Describe objects with terms from shared thesauri and authority files, such as the AAT or RKDartists, via the NDE Network of Terms.
- Publish linked (open) data: Make collection data available in structured formats such as Schema.org and JSON-LD, so that other systems can understand and reuse it.
- Share images via IIIF: Share images via the International Image Interoperability Framework, so they can be shown across platforms without being copied.
- Register your dataset: Register a description of your dataset in the NDE Dataset Register, so others can find your collection.
How our software meets NDE requirements
NDE compatibility is not a bolt-on module in our products. It is built in from the start. This applies to Essentials+, Collection Manager and Collection Publisher, including the API.
Our software supports all five steps:
- Objects get durable ARK identifiers.
- In Collection Manager, you look up terms from the NDE Network of Terms directly and link them to your records.
- You can publish collection data as linked data.
- You can share images via IIIF.
- Collections can be registered in the NDE Dataset Register without custom development work.
This gives you a clear starting point for connecting to the Dutch Digital Heritage Network. How far you get also depends on your own data and setup, for example how completely objects are described and which images you want to share.
Read more about NDE readiness in Essentials+.
Want to know more?
Visit the NDE website for detailed information about the network, its standards, and how to get involved.
Versnellen subsidy
The NDE runs the Versnellen programme to help heritage organisations accelerate their digital connection to the network. See the NDE website for current application rounds.