Domain-agnostic semantic interoperability for AI-ready enterprise data
Compare SDC4 against Open Semantic Interchange (OSI), HL7 FHIR, and NIEM to understand which standard fits your organization's needs.
At-a-glance comparison of key features across SDC4, OSI, FHIR, and NIEM
| Feature | SDC4 ✓ | OSI | FHIR | NIEM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domain Scope | Any domain | AI/BI tools | Healthcare only | Government/Justice |
| Language Support | Any language | English-centric | English-centric | English-only |
| Standards Basis | 16+ W3C/ISO/IETF | YAML/SQL | HL7 V3 | XML/JSON |
| AI Governance | Built-in lineage/provenance | Limited | External tools | None |
| Maturity | 15+ years (165+ citations) | 3 months old New | 10+ years (R5) Mature | 15+ years Mature |
| Validation | Built-in SHACL | Limited | External | External |
| Export Formats | XSD, XML, JSON, JSON-LD, GQL, RDF | SQL models | FHIR JSON/XML | NIEM XML |
Comprehensive Data Governance vs. BI Semantic Layer
OSI (Open Semantic Interchange) launched in September 2025 by Snowflake and industry partners to create consistent semantic definitions across AI and BI tools. It focuses on ensuring that dashboards, SQL queries, and analytics tools share the same business logic and metrics definitions.
SDC4 (Semantic Data Charter) is built on 15+ years of research (MLHIM → S3Model → SDC4) and provides comprehensive data governance, semantic interoperability, and AI governance across ANY domain—not just BI/analytics.
Key Differentiator:
SDC4 is for enterprise-wide data governance with semantic interoperability; OSI is for BI semantic consistency within the Snowflake ecosystem.
| Dimension | OSI (Snowflake Initiative) | SDC4 (Axius SDC) |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Date | September 2025 (3 months old) | Research: 2009-2025, Production: June 2025 |
| Domain Focus | AI/BI analytics tools (dashboards, SQL) | Any domain (healthcare, finance, logistics, manufacturing, etc.) |
| Primary Use Case | Consistent metrics across BI tools | Full data governance with semantic interoperability |
| Data Format | YAML-based semantic layer definitions | Multi-format: XSD, JSON, JSON-LD, RDF, GQL |
| Platform | Snowflake ecosystem (Tableau, dbt, etc.) | Platform-agnostic (any cloud, on-prem, hybrid) |
| AI Governance | Metric definitions only | Full lineage, provenance (W3C PROV), validation |
| Validation | Limited to SQL constraints | Built-in SHACL validation layer |
| Standards | Proprietary YAML spec | 16+ W3C/ISO/IETF standards |
| Language Support | English-centric | Language-agnostic (any language) |
| Research Foundation | New initiative | 165+ academic citations, 12+ peer-reviewed papers |
| Production Status | Early adoption phase | Production-ready (sdcvalidator on PyPI, 1,228 commits) |
OSI: Proprietary YAML specification for semantic layer definitions
SDC4: Built on 16+ W3C/ISO/IETF standards (RDF, OWL, SHACL, XSD, SPARQL, W3C PROV)
OSI: SQL adapters for Snowflake-compatible tools (Tableau, dbt, ThoughtSpot)
SDC4: Multi-format export (XSD, XML, JSON, JSON-LD, GQL, RDF) works with any system
OSI: Metric definitions and business logic consistency
SDC4: Full W3C PROV lineage (source tracking), provenance metadata (who, what, when, why, how), audit trail, validation rules
Domain-Agnostic Evolution of Healthcare Interoperability
FHIR (R5) is the gold standard for healthcare data interoperability, published by HL7 International. It defines resources for clinical data exchange and has strong adoption in healthcare IT systems, especially in the US where it's mandated by ONC and CMS.
SDC4 is domain-agnostic but **content compliant** with FHIR—meaning it can model healthcare data with FHIR-compatible ontologies and export to FHIR formats. SDC4 works across ALL domains while maintaining FHIR compatibility for healthcare use cases.
Key Differentiator:
FHIR is for healthcare only; SDC4 works across all domains with FHIR export capability for healthcare interoperability.
| Dimension | HL7 FHIR R5 | SDC4 (Axius SDC) |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Healthcare ONLY | Healthcare + Finance + Logistics + Manufacturing + Any domain |
| Language | English-centric (some translations) | Language-agnostic (model in Portuguese, Japanese, etc.) |
| Maturity | 10+ years, R5 "trial use" | 15+ years research, production-ready |
| Standards Basis | HL7 V3, SNOMED CT, LOINC | 16+ W3C/ISO/IETF standards |
| Data Formats | JSON, XML | JSON, XML, JSON-LD, RDF, GQL, XSD |
| Validation | External (FHIR validators) | Built-in SHACL validation layer |
| Semantics | Extensions and profiles | Native RDF/OWL ontology integration |
| Governance | Limited (FHIR Provenance resource) | Full W3C PROV lineage + provenance |
| Interoperability | FHIR-to-FHIR | Multi-standard export (including FHIR) |
| AI Governance | External tools required | Built-in (lineage, provenance, validation) |
| Development Velocity | R5 published 2023 | 1,228 commits in 4 months (Oct 2025) |
FHIR: HL7 V3, proprietary resources, extensions for customization
SDC4: 16+ W3C/ISO/IETF standards (RDF, OWL, SHACL, XSD)
FHIR: Extensions and profiles for semantic customization
SDC4: Native RDF/OWL ontology integration with embedded semantics
FHIR: External validators (FHIR IG Publisher, HAPI FHIR)
SDC4: Built-in SHACL validation layer
FHIR: FHIR Provenance resource (limited scope)
SDC4: Full W3C PROV implementation with automatic lineage tracking
Modern Semantic Interoperability for Global Organizations
NIEM (NIEMOpen) is the US government standard for justice, public safety, and emergency response information exchange. It provides common vocabulary and data models for government agencies to share information across jurisdictions.
SDC4 is domain-agnostic, international, with richer semantic layers and built-in AI governance. While NIEM focuses on US government needs, SDC4 serves commercial organizations globally across any domain.
Key Differentiator:
NIEM for US government mandates; SDC4 for commercial/international organizations needing semantic richness and AI governance.
| Dimension | NIEM (NIEMOpen) | SDC4 (Axius SDC) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | US government (justice, emergency, border) | Any organization, any domain |
| Geographic Scope | US-centric (some international adoption) | International (language-agnostic) |
| Domain | Justice, public safety, emergency response | Healthcare, finance, logistics, manufacturing, any domain |
| Governance | OASIS Open Project (2024) | Apache 2.0 open specification |
| Data Model | Hierarchical (ISA-95 style) | Multi-level modeling architecture |
| Data Formats | XML (primary), JSON (newer) | XSD, XML, JSON, JSON-LD, RDF, GQL |
| Semantic Layer | Limited (NIEM ontology) | Full RDF/OWL ontology integration |
| Validation | External XML schema validation | Built-in SHACL validation |
| AI Governance | None | Full lineage, provenance (W3C PROV) |
| Language Support | English-only | Any language |
| Standards Basis | NIEM specs (transitioning) | 16+ W3C/ISO/IETF standards |
| Content Compliance | NIEM IEPDs | Content compliant with NIEM (can export) |
NIEM: Hierarchical model (like ISA-95) with strict vocabulary
SDC4: Multi-level modeling architecture with flexible semantic layer
NIEM: NIEM XML specifications (transitioning to NIEMOpen standards)
SDC4: 16+ W3C/ISO/IETF standards (RDF, OWL, SHACL, XSD, W3C PROV)
NIEM: NIEM vocabulary and core ontology (domain-specific)
SDC4: Full RDF/OWL ontology integration (any domain, any ontology)
NIEM: NIEM IEPDs (Information Exchange Package Documentations)
SDC4: Multi-format export including NIEM-compatible formats
Six unique advantages that distinguish SDC4 from other data standards
Model data in Portuguese, Japanese, French, Spanish, etc.
Semantic interoperability maintained across languages. Unlocks 75% of non-English global markets.
W3C PROV lineage + automatic provenance + audit trail
Answer "what data trained this model?" automatically. Not bolted on—built in from the start.
Model ANY domain, export TO domain standards
Bridge between standards (FHIR, NIEM, ISO 20022), not locked to one. True interoperability.
165+ citations, 12+ peer-reviewed papers, 3,700+ commits
MLHIM → S3Model → SDC4. Real-world deployments (Brazilian SUS, TB research). Proven foundation.
16+ W3C/ISO/IETF standards, not proprietary
Works with any cloud (GCP, AWS, Azure) or on-prem. Open specification (Apache 2.0). Broad tool compatibility.
1,228 commits in 4 months, latest: yesterday
Production package on PyPI (sdcvalidator). Professional development practices. Not vaporware.
Which standard should you use? Follow this guide based on your needs.
→ SDC4 (only choice)
→ SDC4 (built-in) or add external tools to others
→ SDC4 (only choice)
→ FHIR (or SDC4 with FHIR export)
→ NIEM (required) or SDC4 with NIEM export
→ OSI (or SDC4 for full governance)
→ SDC4 (clear winner)
→ SDC4 (future-proof)
Ready to explore domain-agnostic semantic interoperability with built-in AI governance?