Defining the data space paradigm shift
Data spaces are not just another layer of IT architecture. They represent a paradigm shift in how organizations manage and share data. For too long, data has been locked away in silos, limiting its potential value. Data spaces aim to change that by providing a trusted, interoperable environment where participants can share data securely and on their own terms.
This approach is now gaining formal recognition. The new international standard ISO 20151 defines what constitutes a data space. It describes key principles such as maintaining data control, establishing trust, discovering and negotiating data-sharing contracts, and observing transactions as they happen. These definitions provide a technical and legal baseline that can now be translated into practical frameworks.
From vision to global implementation
According to Nagel, the data space community has moved through its early “trial-and-error” years. The concepts are tested and the technologies are maturing. He describes the current moment as “Season 2” of the data space journey: a growth phase where organizations move from pilots to production, from concept papers to real services.
Data spaces are now being built across the world: in Europe, Japan, India, and Australia. The challenge ahead is to harmonize frameworks across these regions while ensuring that everyone builds on shared global standards.
Interoperability as the core business driver
Nagel made it clear that standardization is at the heart of global cooperation. Without it, interoperability remains an aspiration. With it, businesses of any size can connect seamlessly.
Standards enable trust, because participants can verify each other’s credentials and rely on common governance rules. They also reduce cost and complexity by avoiding rework and ensuring long-term return on investment. In short, they turn data sharing from a risky experiment into a stable part of digital infrastructure.
A common foundation, regional diversity
While the goal is a global framework, Nagel acknowledged that regional differences will remain. Japan, Europe, and other regions will each develop their own models and governance structures. What matters is that all are built on the same technical foundation — much like how the internet operates on shared protocols, even as countries and industries tailor their applications.
This vision requires alignment across technical, legal, and regulatory dimensions. It also depends on collaboration with open-source communities and standards bodies like ISO. IDSA’s role is to provide the agnostic baseline, the smallest common denominator that ensures all these frameworks can interoperate.
Collaboration with Japan and Asia
Japan plays a special role in this global movement. IDSA has built a strong presence there through its IDSA Hub Japan, led by Professor Koshizuka, Hiroshi Mano, and Akira Sakaino. Nagel praised their work and invited even closer cooperation between Japanese and European initiatives, such as aligning the Oranus Ecosystem Data Space Reference Architecture Model (ODS) with IDSA’s global framework.
“Japan is one of the central pillars of IDSA,” Nagel said. “IDSA is also partly Japanese.” His invitation to the wider Asian community was direct: take a stronger voice in shaping the global data space ecosystem.
The development of trusted, interoperable data spaces is no longer a research exercise. It is a strategic economic effort that will shape digital value creation worldwide. For Nagel, the path forward depends on shared standards, regional cooperation, and continued collaboration among governments, industries, and research institutions.
“Global standards ensure global value creation,” he concluded. “Let’s use them to build the data economy together.”
