Comprehensive knowledge base
to share with the broader community
In 2022, the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) launched a revolutionary venture, the Data Spaces Support Center (DSSC). This project, backed by the European Commission, aimed at creating a collaborative space for interaction and co-creation activities, and establishing a comprehensive, shareable knowledge base for the broader community.
to share with the broader community
for questions and co-creation activities
The International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) is committed to developing a system known as International Data Spaces (IDS). This system is aimed at fostering efficient and secure data sharing, allowing all involved parties to fully unlock the potential of their data.
By enabling pioneering "smart services" and innovative business procedures, IDSA ensures that data sovereignty remains under the discretion of data providers.
IDSA (International Data Space Association) is a pioneering think tank in the tech space with a non-profit mission for data sovereignty. As part of their activity, they maintain a reference architecture model for industrial data, involve themselves in various EU projects, and actively contribute to the European data strategy.
In November 2022, IDSA initiated the Data Spaces Support Center (DSSC), a flagship project for the European Commission concerning data spaces. This unique research and development project was centred on two objectives: Create a collaborative environment for questions and co-creation activities and to build a comprehensive knowledge base to share with the broader community.
However, Tobias Prasse, the Director of Communication at IDSA, found they lacked the expertise in-house to build the platform that the project required. While there was no saleable product involved in this initiative, the task was to disseminate knowledge and spread awareness while fostering a sense of community - much in spirit with open-source endeavours.
Thanks to Atlassian's generous grant of unlimited free licenses to the project, the door was open to address the challenge. veniture, an expert Atlassian solutions provider, was chosen to bring this initiative to life. The software used included Jira Service Management, Service Desk, and Confluence for internal space co-creation. Confluence was also adapted externally with the help of a plugin (Refined) to provide the look and feel of a website.
The journey began with stakeholder identification and interviews, stakeholder requirements refinement, and finally identification of software solutions and providers. After six months of diligent work, the platform was ready.
The project was launched in mid-April 2023, and by the start of July, Confluence and Jira were set up for anonymous access while the website made publicly accessible through Refined.
To date, more than 300 people have registered on the platform as active participants, and there have been over 700 requests. The platform successfully provides a space for stakeholders to share their concerns, participate, engage, and contribute to the project actively.
The most challenging part, setting up a Confluence site with Refined to mirror a website, came out to be the biggest step in the journey. The results were impressive, with users easily navigating the productive part and the to-be-edited parts.
*The quotes and experiences shared above belong to the speakers from IDSA and not to the larger DSSC project.