The Reference Taxonomy Pattern

When you can’t replace existing classification systems, create a shared reference they can all map to.

ESCO doesn’t replace national occupational classifications, each EU member state maintains their own. Instead, it provides a common vocabulary that national systems can crosswalk against. Spain’s classification maps to ESCO. Latvia’s classification maps to ESCO. Now Spain and Latvia can interoperate without either abandoning their local system.

The pattern: Interoperability layer, not replacement layer.

This works because:

1. Local systems encode local context that a universal system would lose
2. Organizations have sunk costs in existing taxonomies
3. Mandating adoption creates political resistance
4. A reference taxonomy is a service, not a constraint

The same pattern appears in data standards (schema.org), healthcare (SNOMED CT as a reference for ICD-10 and local terminologies), and knowledge graphs (linking to Wikidata rather than replacing internal entity stores).

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