Who creates global standards for data spaces? You do!

Working Group Architecture

The IDSA Architecture Working Group defines and promotes architectural principles and implementation patterns that are firmly grounded in the IDSA core concepts as described in the IDSA Rulebook. Its mission is to guide architects and software engineers in designing and developing trusted, interoperable, and compliant data spaces.

Through a combination of best practices, reference blueprints, and trade-off analyses, the group supports the design of robust data space solutions while highlighting known anti-patterns to avoid. It also explores and discusses the essential technical capabilities that data spaces enable—such as data discovery, policy enforcement, usage control, identity resolution, and observability—and provides in-depth analysis of how these can be implemented in a compliant manner.

Maintaining a technology-neutral perspective, the Architecture Working Group focuses on aligning diverse implementations with the shared IDSA vision. By contributing deep technical expertise to the broader IDSA community, the group plays a key role in shaping discussions around emerging trends and technologies that advance the future of data sharing ecosystems.

• Maintain technical documents
• Provide guidance for the community
• Contribute technical insights to specification and standardization activities
• Provide a ground for ideation of data space technologie

• Architects and software engineers

• Service providers

• Technology-oriented researchers

• We are open for IDSA members

Join the next working group meeting

Working Group Data Space Adoption Forum 

The Data Space Adoption Forum (DSAF) is an International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) Working Group dedicated to making data space participation accessible and scalable. Its focus is on removing the technical and operational barriers that prevent small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from joining data spaces. 

 Today, participating in a data space typically requires deploying and managing a connector stack, handling compliance, and maintaining dedicated infrastructure. For most SMEs, that is not viable. The DSAF addresses this by convening the organisations that build this capability and by aligning the infrastructure, services, and coordination models that allow cloud and managed service providers (CSPs and MSPs) to offer data space participation as a managed service. SMEs can then onboard through providers they already work with, without building or maintaining their own infrastructure. 

• Work within the DSAF is organised into three parallel workstreams: 

   

  • Technology: Aligning the shared technical foundation for managed data space participation, developed by participating organisations. Current focus includes Eclipse Dataspace Components Virtual (EDC-V) connector and CSP or MSP onboarding platforms. 
  • Business: Defining the commercial rationale, use cases, and value propositions that give every actor in the value chain a concrete reason to participate. 
  • Marketing: Coordinating positioning, messaging, and go-to-market activities to make data space participation coherent and credible to a broad market audience. 

   

  Solutions developed within the DSAF are co-created by participating organisations and deployed in real operational environments. 

• Cloud and managed service providers looking to offer data space participation as a service 

• Data space operators and authorities working to scale SME onboarding 

• System integrators and consultancies supporting data space deployments 

• Trust framework providers and identity service operators 

• Technology and open source contributors working on interoperable data space infrastructure 

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Working Group Rulebook

The IDSA Rulebook serves multiple purposes that are instrumental in shaping how sovereign data sharing in data spaces work. At its core, it provides a clear understanding of mandatory rules and optional guidelines, encompassing functional, technical, operational, and legal dimensions for data sharing. This governance framework lays down guidelines for common service functionalities, defining processes, and outlining specific roles and services within data spaces.

Activities of the working group

The IDSA Rulebook working group is responsible for creating and maintaining the IDSA Rulebook, which addresses all relevant aspects of secure, fair, and trustworthy cross-organizational data sharing. This encompasses data spaces within specific sectors as well as across various industries.

The working group takes the lead in discussing mandatory and optional elements within data spaces and continually improves guidelines concerning their development and operation. This is done through close collaboration with other IDSA Working Groups and Task Forces.

Join the working group

Contribute to the development and enhancement of the IDS Rulebook. Your expertise and insights can make a significant impact on creating guidelines that foster innovation, collaboration, and compliance in data spaces.

Your feedback on the IDSA Rulebook

Your voice counts! Help us to make the IDSA Rulebook better by giving us your feedback. 

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Working Group Certification

The Working Group Certification creates and maintains the IDS certification process. The IDS Reference Architecture Model (IDS-RAM) outlines essential components and requirements for data spaces, ensuring interoperability and standardization across diverse implementations. IDS-RAM specifies key components like data connectors, data models, and governance guidelines. IDS Certification, as defined in IDS-RAM, ensures compliance with these specifications, safeguarding data sovereignty for all data space participants.

Activities of the Working Group

The Working Group Certification develops certification requirements and strategies. It creates and maintains the IDSA certification process as an important aspect of building trust among participants in data spaces. This includes certifying operational environments and core components, defining roles and developing evaluation methods used during certification.

Who should join?

• Experts in certification processes
• Colleagues who know about certification activities in your company
• Colleagues who are interested in International Data Spaces certification

Sub-working Group Testbed

​The Sub-working Group Testbed develops and maintains the IDS Reference Testbed. This includes integrating new components, upgrading them to higher versions, fixing issues and documenting the installation process. Moreover, the Sub Working Group is responsible for the IDS Reference Testbed roadmap.

Join the next working group meeting