The role of data for businesses has continuously changed over the decades, prompting data providers to rethink the way they manage data both internally and with external partners. Data sharing and data sovereignty are key prerequisites to ensure fairness and sustainability in data management. Data spaces, facilitated by decentralized software infrastructure, were introduced to address challenges in the overarching use of data in terms of trust, security, data sovereignty, data ecosystems, and standardized interoperability. The European Data Strategy underscores the important role of data spaces and advocates for the creation of domain-specific data spaces in the Single European Market. Initiatives such as the International Data Space (IDS) and GAIA-X have been established to define reference architectures for federated data infrastructure and technological building blocks in data spaces and ecosystems.
SINTEF, as a member of the International Data Space Association (IDSA) and Big Data Value Association (BDVA), is committed to developing solutions for big data management and data ecosystems. The Smart Data group is a member and coordinator of different European projects that aim to explore the data space concept and establish federated and secure digital infrastructure for data sharing in various domains, including manufacturing, circular economy, agriculture, and ocean.