Data Ecosystems

A European network of interoperable data spaces

In the previous chapters, we explored the challenges of the data economy and the concept of data spaces. But how do we prevent data spaces themselves from becoming data silos again? The solution: we need an ecosystem that ensures basic interoperability between data spaces. Initiatives such as Gaia-X create standards and rules for such a data ecosystem. In this chapter, you will learn how Gaia-X contributes to this and how companies benefit from interoperable data spaces.

Simple, trustworthy, and efficient data collaboration on a global scale

Imagine the global data economy as a giant mosaic in which every company and every organization has unique pieces. The true value only becomes apparent when these pieces come together to form a bigger picture. But how can this be achieved in a world full of technical and legal hurdles?

Let’s assume you run a logistics company and are a member of a mobility data space. Your efficiency could increase further if you combine your mosaic piece with tiles from other data spaces, such as smart cities or healthcare. Perhaps you want to optimize your routes with up-to-date environmental data or adjust the distribution of medical goods in real time. Without common standards and procedures, such cross-industry data links would become an expensive nightmare of individual agreements and technical adjustments.

If the Gaia-X specifications are used to build data spaces, they ensure that these data spaces are interoperable with each other by design. This basic interoperability is the key to enabling the European data economy to develop its full potential.

Gaia-X as a European initiative of committed companies

Gaia-X works closely with initiatives such as International Data Spaces Association (IDSA), FIWARE Foundation, the Big Data Value Association (BDVA) and the Data Spaces Support Center (DSSC). Under the umbrella of the Data Spaces Business Alliance (DSBA), this cooperation ensures that not only Gaia-X data spaces harmonize with each other, but also that all other architectures, specifications and concepts are aligned (further information on this can be found in the following courses).

Gaia-X is not a state institution, but an initiative from the private sector. At its heart is the Gaia-X European Association for Data and Cloud AISBL, an international, non-profit association. With over 220 members from business and science, it forms the backbone of the initiative.

The goal? An open, transparent, and secure ecosystem in which data and services flow securely according to common standards. Gaia-X contributes the practical experience of its members. The initiative describes in detail how cooperation between AISBL and the hubs in the various countries is organized at https://gaia-x.eu/who-we-are/association/.

Gaia-X’s contribution to the European data ecosystem starts at this crucial point. The initiative does not provide a ready-made software package for complete data spaces, but rather the so-called trust framework.

In information technology, a framework is a structured collection of rules, standards, and tools. They help developers to create consistent and efficient solutions, similar to a blueprint that facilitates the construction of a house – in the case of Gaia-X, the trust framework serves to ensure trust and security in data-based cooperation.

In concrete terms, this means:

1. Companies and organizations no longer have to manually check whether other participants in their data space or another adhering to the rules of the game. Instead, they can use automated checking procedures.
2. Information on the identity of actors and on the data and data services offered complies with the Gaia-X rules.
3. A two-tier system of control bodies checks the conformity of such information.

This basic interoperability prevents data silos. It allows companies to work together securely and efficiently across value chains and industries.

How does Gaia-X work in practice?

Gaia-X creates centralized trust mechanisms for data-based cooperation within and between data spaces. The initiative relies on Verifiable Credentials (VC), a standard of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for digitally signed and forgery-proof proofs. VCs contain information on identity or qualifications and can be checked cryptographically without having to contact the issuer.

1. Participant Credentials: Organizations that wish to participate in a data space must prove their digital identity – for example with an X509 or, in future, an eIDAS certificate. To do this, they contact a Gaia-X Digital Clearing House, which issues them with a participant certificate. After agreeing to the general terms and conditions of the data space, they sign with their digital identity. The Clearing House then creates a compliance credential that confirms the verified identity of the participant.
2. Service Credentials: Data and digital services are also checked in data spaces. A service credential, which contains cryptographically signed information about the respective service, is used for this purpose. An organization is considered Gaia-X-compliant if it can present a participant credential for itself and service credentials for the services it offers.
3. Gaia-X Digital Clearing Houses (GXDCH): These Clearing Houses independently check whether participants and services comply with the Gaia-X rules. They rely on so-called trust anchors – particularly reliable organizations in the EU member states that define testing standards and procedures, such as the Bundesdruckerei in Germany. In this way, the GXDCH create a trustworthy environment.

These trust functions of Gaia-X form the basis for legally secure, credible, and sovereign data exchange. The following video summarizes the conceptual ideas of data spaces and federations with the help of an example from e-mobility:

How does data ecosystems improve data-based cooperation?

Let’s look at another example from the industry that demonstrates the benefits of an interoperable data ecosystem: a medium-sized mechanical engineering company wants to optimize its production processes while simultaneously verifying and optimizing its CO₂- footprint. It uses a data space for Industry 4.0 to integrate energy consumption data from suppliers and anonymized production data from similar companies.

Without an interoperable data ecosystem, it would be difficult to add data from other industries or regions. The company would have to:

• Negotiate individual contracts with dozens of data providers
• Implement various technical interfaces
• Carry out extensive security checks for each partner

In a Gaia-X-compliant data ecosystem, an industrial company would use the following data and services, for example:

• Identity verification by a Gaia-X Digital Clearing House
• GXDCH-verified conformity of data and data service information
• Research of relevant data sources and data services in federated catalogs of different data spaces
  • Data from a product carbon footprint calculator
  • Real-time data from IoT sensors in your own machines
  • CO₂ emissions data from the supply chain
  • In addition: real-time market data from an energy data space to optimize energy costs, CO₂ emissions and grid load

Thanks to standardized interfaces and interoperable standards, the company can easily integrate this data from different data spaces into its IT processes. Sovereignty-preserving rules ensure that sensitive data remains protected. An AI model optimizes production and helps to demonstrably reduce CO₂ emissions.

The result? Increased efficiency, reduced costs, and a competitive advantage through sustainability – all thanks to simple, secure, and interoperable data collaboration in the Gaia-X ecosystem.

How can my company benefit economically from data room technologies?

The advantages of data spaces and data ecosystems are inherent. The following video briefly summarizes them: