Analyzing the Current Landscape of Materials Data Infrastructures

The development and production of engineering materials receive substantial investments from both the industrial and research sectors. The materials are produced and certified in adherence to a set of product and evaluation criteria that have progressed over numerous decades to fulfill increasingly rigorous specifications. However, the considerable amount of data generated from these endeavors remains predominantly inaccessible. The endeavor to create a digital framework for engineering materials data can be dated back to over thirty years ago. However, the extensive implementation of machine-readable formats that facilitate the regular exchange of engineering materials data is yet to be accomplished. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the development of materials data infrastructures that are designed to gather, store, and disseminate materials data to various stakeholders. Prior to delving into the present state of digital materials infrastructures, we shall first contemplate the early iterations of such infrastructures. Several challenges that must be addressed before the development of a robust materials search engines and discovery tool are also reviewed.