RINIS joins the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA)
Securely sharing data at international level is the purpose of the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) in a nutshell. This organisation is engineering a framework for secure and controlled cross-domain data exchanges, something which the RINIS Foundation is very knowledgeable about. In order to actively leverage this expertise and to keep close track of the latest developments in the area of data spaces, RINIS has now signed up as a member of the IDSA.
Data Spaces are secure and trusted data ecosystems in which organisations are able to share data whilst retaining control over the parties that have access to these data and how said data are used. The concept is based on arrangements, standards and protocols which enable cross-border and cross-sector cooperation. The OOTS platform, for which RINIS developed the basic set-up is regarded as the first European data space.
“The parties that share a data space jointly establish the manner in which data are to be accessed, who is to have access and subject to which requirements”, Linh Nguyen explains. Linh is a RINIS Solution Architect. “In doing so, data spaces act to strengthen our current data ecosystems. This fits in with a Europe that is becoming increasingly more digitised.”
Data strategy
The European data strategy, which was drafted in 2020, sets out the development of Common European Data Spaces as an important requirement for interoperability between citizens, businesses and authorities within Europe. IDSA and the European data strategy are both aimed at creating federated ecosystems for secure and sovereign data exchanges.
IDSA stems from a project of the German government under which a framework was designed for data sharing in the manufacturing industry. The International Data Spaces Association was set up to carry on this standardisation drive. The organisation currently has over 100 members, including Volkswagen, Microsoft and Google, as well as Dutch parties such as TNO and Geonovum.
Reliable government partner
RINIS has chosen to become an IDSA member with a view to assuming an active role in the development of standards and protocols. “It is important to us to be among the parties in the driving seat and to contribute our know-how as a reliable governmental partner”, Linh comments. “We are not only monitoring developments, we are also looking at ways to build bridges between IDSA’s international standards and the initiatives in the Netherlands which we are involved with. We do so working in tandem with government partners and our participants.”
OOTS is one such initiative, although RINIS projects in the area of Privacy Enhancing Technologies and quantum technology also contribute towards achieving the goal and the development of data spaces. In part as a result thereof, RINIS is now also IDSA-certified. With its membership and certification, RINIS is now also able to demonstrate at an international level that it is perfectly capable of setting up data sharing initiatives in a secure and reliable manner that is compliant with IDSA standards. In doing so, RINIS underscores its role as a reliable partner for data sharing at home and abroad.