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.
This document from the second edition of the Cirpass Project describes User Stories for the DPP system. These User Stories are intended to bridge the gap between the intentions of the European regulators, as expressed in the ESPR, and the DPP system development and standardisation activities. The purpose of the User Stories in this document is to elaborate, reason on and illustrate how the DPP system would function, enabling the specification of its technical requirements and reference architecture.
This page on the official portal for European data provides a reliable overview of the policy objectives of the EU’s Digital Product Passports initiative, with further links to more detailed information.
This is a link to the EUR-LEX version of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which introduces and provides many of the basic rules for Digital Product Passports in the EU.
This is a working proof-of-concept developed by the ProPare project that shows how a Digital Product Passport system might work in practice, including functioning Android and iOS applications, within a narrow scope. A technical solution guide and a recording of a live presentation of the prototype is also available.
This document, from the DaCapo project, discusses in detail the circular economy transition and identifies opportunities for manufacturing innovations. These are particularly expected to ameliorate the growing frustrations faced by businesses experiencing stubborn barriers in implementing circular economy strategies. It identifies multiple existing trends, and introduces different archetypes of servitisation business models.
This document from the Battery Pass project summarises the content related requirements for the Battery Passport (i.e., a Digital Product Passport for batteries) in the EU, drawing mainly on the EU Battery Regulation. It provides a foundation for the technical approaches for the Battery Passport, a formal reference model for data collection, and a Technical Standard Stack to cover relevant technical specifications within the scope of the project.
The full report is also available.
This document from the Battery Pass consortium provides actors in the battery value chain with a summarised picture of the technical requirements of the Battery Passport (i.e., a Digital Product Passport for batteries). It specifies the operative elements of the Passport as mandated by law, and towards its implementation in business realities.
The full report is also available.
This document summarises the findings of the Battery Pass consortium’s ‘Value Assessment’, and explores the setup of the Battery Passport (a Digital Product Passport for batteries) in the EU. It highlights the benefits for business and consumers, while also addressing implementation challenges, regulatory uncertainties, and practical steps for business and policymakers to maximise the impact of DPPs.
The full report is also available.
This report from the first edition of the Cirpass project presents the costs, benefits and impact the implementation of DPP systems may impose specifically of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises, and discusses the role of Digital Product Passport Service Providers in assisting with the same.
The document presents a high-level overview of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) system and its technological and international context, emphasizing the importance for semantic interoperability for its functioning. It also provides a non-exhaustive list of potentially useful data models, ontologies and illustrative videos.
A list of the frequently asked questions on Digital Product Passports and their answers, from the first edition of the Cirpass project, a collaborative initiative funded by the European Commission to prepare the ground for the gradual piloting and deployment of Digital Product Passports (DPP) aligned with the requisite legal requirements.
A conversation with Sjoerd Rongen, Digital Product Passports Lead at TNO and associated with the CoE-DSC, about the necessity, future implementation, and potential benefits of DPPs. A video recording of the associated presentation and slides are also available.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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).
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).
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).
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.
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.
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.
