The Dataspace Protocol

The Dataspace Protocol is a set of rules and standards that define how data is shared and consumed within a data space. Its development is driven and supported by the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) to provide a common language and structure for data exchange across different domains and industries.

The Dataspace Protocol defines key concepts and components that act as a basis for standardization and interoperability of data exchange:

• Data representation and cataloging – Definition of the structure and format of the data being shared.

• Data assets – Individual pieces of data published to a data space. Assets can be versioned, and their metadata can include information such as timestamps, authors, and descriptions.

• Data services – Functionality provided by a data space to perform operations on assets, such as querying, filtering, or transforming data. Services can be invoked using REST APIs or message queues.

• Exchange policies – Rules governing how data can be accessed, modified, or deleted. Data usage and data control policies can be defined at multiple levels, including organizational, dataset, or asset level. The policies are attached to each asset through a connector. Policy violations can initiate alerts and actions to enforce data governance.