Knowledge Base

Basic

Curious about data spaces but not sure where to begin? Not exactly sure what data spaces are and why they are important in today’s digital landscape? If you’re eager to explore this emerging field but need guidance, you’ve come to the right place! We have gathered important sources of information for you to visit that will help you gain a basic understanding of the topic. The resources are ordered such that they will guide you gradually through the topic.

Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC)

A glossary by the Data Spaces Support Centre of all terms that describe the core concepts of data spaces. This glossary can help you if you encounter a term you are not yet familiar with in any of the other resources listed in the knowledge base.

Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC)

A glossary of terms that describe the European data economy, including policy terms and legal definitions. Since data spaces are often mentioned in the context of the European data economy, it is likely that you will encounter these terms in the other resources listed in the knowledge base.

iBestuur (2023)

A Dutch news article that explains the impact of decisions made by the European Commission about data sharing on Dutch service providers and government. It identifies that the interplay between technical, legal and organisational agreements is covered in a Data Space. Furthermore, it addresses the current position, initiatives and expectations for the future from a Dutch perspective.

International Data Spaces Association (IDSA)

The playlist made by the International Data Spaces Association covers the functionality of data spaces in an easy and understandable manner. It addresses topics such as the need for data sovereignty and explains more about the reference architecture and design principles of data spaces.

Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC)

This document by the Data Spaces Support Centre contains information for someone who wants to get started with designing data spaces.

For beginners, we recommend the first two chapters (Data Spaces 101 & Data Spaces Start-up Checklist).

Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC)

The building blocks identified by the Data Space Support Centre are displayed to create an overview of the organizational and technical building blocks in a data space.

For beginners, it is mainly important to understand the overarching categories (Business, Governance, Legal, Data Interoperability, Data Sovereignty & Trust, Data Value Creation).

Boris Otto, Michael ten Hompel, Stefan Wrobel (2022)

If you have an ambition to learn acquire more in-depth knowledge on data spaces, this document forms an excellent starting point. It addresses the role of data for enterprises, topics such as data sharing and data sovereignty, and it tries to define more academically what a data space is exactly. Also, it clarifies the roles active within a Data Space and their respective responsibilities.

For beginners, we recommend the first chapter (The Evolution of Data Spaces).

OpenDEI (2021)

Adding to the work of Otto et al. (2022) is the OpenDEI design principles for data spaces. It is a year older than the work of Otto et al. and therefore complementary to their work. It also discusses what data spaces are, their stakeholders, design principles and architecture requirements.

For beginners, we recommend the first chapter (Fundamentals of Data Spaces).

TNO

This short video finalizes and sums up what you have learnt, and ends your journey as a new visitor.

Both Dutch and English captions are available.

CoE-DSC

Parties interested in deploying a data space need to use the right technologies and need to make sure they get the business and governance of the data space right. This is easier said than done, because there is relatively little guidance on how to deploy a data space successfully. What guidance can be given? On behalf of the CoE-DSC, a white paper has been written about this topic by Gijs van Houwelingen et al., TNO.

CoE-DSC

The article discusses a collaboration between Dutch knowledge institutes, internet providers, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK) to establish a national Gaia-X test environment in the Netherlands. This initiative enables Dutch cloud service providers to test their solutions against European Gaia-X standards and regulations using Kubernetes technology initially, with plans to integrate other cloud federation technologies later. The goal is to promote data sovereignty in Europe by fostering a network of certified independent cloud providers and offering better data control to users.