Data Spaces Symposium
FIWARE Data Space Connector

Dr. Dennis Wendland

Technical Lead & Architect
FIWARE Foundation

Evolution of Data Space Connector concept▪

The concept of Data Space Connector has evolved tomatch the idea of an integrated suite of components
every organization participating in a data space should
deploy to “connect” to the data space▪

These components would be deployed and configured incontrolled environments (e.g., a Kubernetes cluster) and
implement a number of services which may be required
for an organization to connect in its role as provider ofdata services, consumer of data services
or both:
•••
•••
•
•▪

Authentication (including the interface to trust services)
Authorization (policy enforcement)
Connection to Data Exchange APIs
Data resources publication (Metadata Management)
Contract Management
Logging
Remote Attestation…

The concept of Data Space Connector in IDS RAM 4.0
has evolved to support this vision

DSBA Technical Convergence version 2.0▪

The DSBA Technical Convergence (TC) delivers a Minimum
Viable Framework (MVF) enabling the creation of data spaces▪

This MVF is based on the convergence of existingarchitectures and models, leveraging each other’s efforts on
specifications and implementations.

▪

A new edition of the DSBA TC (version 2.0) was released on
April 21st - Major highlights▪

•

Description of common vision and conceptual model•

Identification of major standards per technology pillar andspecifications of how they get integrated

Some initiatives committed to follow DSBA technicalrecommendations (others welcome to do the same!):•FIWARE Data Space Connector•iSHARE Trust Framework•DOME project under Digital Europe Programme3Technology Building Blocks for Data Spaces4

Data interoperability▪

Providers of data products within data spaces must be able to offer
data services at well defined endpoints knowing that customers,
unknown by them a priori, will know how to consume their dataservices through those endpoints.

▪

This means that all participants in data spaces should ‘speak thesame language’, addressing interoperability
at several levels (see ISO/IEC 21823-1):••transport and syntactic level → common APIs
semantic level → common data models/vocabularies▪

DSBA proposes NGSI-LD for transfer of digital twin data andDataspace Connector Protocols for the Control of data transfer▪

Adoption of common data models is encouraged and there aremultiple references that may consider (ISO/IEC CIM for Energy,SAREF, …) - the Smart Data Models initiative brings a hub thatsolves how different data models are mapped into JSON, JSON-LD
and other data serialization formats▪

In some data spaces, it may be necessary to make the data sharing
process observable - to be addressed in future versions
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Data sovereignty and trust▪

Any data space requires a Trust Framework bringing•••

Mechanisms for verifying legal identity
Mechanisms for verifying compliance with data space participation rules
Mechanisms for verifying trustworthiness of credential issuers▪

On the other hand, it requires a decentralized Identity andAuthorization Management (IAM) framework through which manage
authentication and the enforcement of access/usage policies▪

DSBA proposes a decentralized Trust framework compatible with theEU Digital ID Wallet Architecture and EBSI▪

Decentralized IM based on latest W3C and OIDC standards:
••
•
•

▪

W3C DID (Decentralized Identifiers), Verifiable Credentials (VC)
Verifiable Credentials Issuance Protocols: OIDC4VCI
Self-Issued OpenID Provider: SIOPv2
Verifiable Credentials Exchange Protocols: OIDC4VP

Authorization framework following PEP-PDP-PIP and PRP/PAP
architecture for ABAC (attributes ⇔ claims in VCs), and adopting
ODRL as Policy Definition Language
6Data value creation▪

Creating value out of data based on data sharing is the ultimate
goal in data spaces.This follows basically the steps to:• Describe data, services, resources, products, offerings in an••interoperable manner
Include data and service publication services to discover offerings
facilitating connection of providers and consumers
Support contract negotiation peer-to-peer or through value–added
services such as marketplaces▪

Providers will be able to self-issue Verifiable Credentials linked todescriptions of their products/services/resources/data → goal is toalign on common specifications for future editions▪

Descriptions will be available through catalogs at connector level(supporting DCAT v3) or at data space level (Metadata Brokers orMarketplaces)▪

TM Forum APIs bring the basis for managing offerings and support
contract negotiation via marketplaces → to be supported in DOME,
goal is to align on how to support them at connector level
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Compliance of Data Space Connectors with DSBA
recommendations▪

▪

Aligning with DSBA TC recommendations haveseveral implications:•Interface with Trust Services should align with EBSI
specifications (DID-Registry, Trusted-Issuers-Registry APIs
but extended to support authentication based on VCs)

•Authentication should be based on W3C DID + VC/VP
standards and SIOPv2/OIDC4VP protocols and implement
the interface to trust services•Authorization should implement a P*P architecture
implementing ABAC using ODRL as policy language•IDS Dataspace Protocols considered a relevant input•

Compatibility with NGSI-LD as data exchange API

How to implement Contract Management is underanalysis since there are two approaches to reconcile:•In principle, TM Forum APIs would be a good candidate forContract Management API•

There has been some initial work in IDS RAM 4.0
regarding specification of a Contract Management protocol•Reconciliation is required8

FIWARE Data Space Connector▪

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▪

A first release of FIWARE Data Space Connector components togetherwith recipes for deployment was released September 2023 combining
components already aligning with DSBA TC recommendations:•Context Broker technology for Data Exchange/Transfer•

Trust and IAM components implementing W3C DID + VC/VP standards,
SIOPv2/OIDC4VP protocols and interface to trust services based on EBSI
APIs (DID-registry, Trusted Issuers Registry)•BAE modules implementing TM Forum APIs for contract negotiation

For future releases, following modules will be incorporated:•Personal Data Consent Management modules (based on CaPE productfrom Engineering).

•Idra product from Engineering as DCAT-compliant data resources catalog
function for Metadata Management → aligning with IDS Dataspace Protocol•Transfer Control Protocol → aligning with IDS Dataspace Protocol•logging modules based on either BAE/marketplace functions for logging or,if we want to rely on blockchain, Canis Major

The FIWARE Data Space Connector is the best aligned with DSBA
recommendations available in the market
9https://github.com/FIWARE/data-space-connector

Thank you!
Dr. Dennis Wendland

Technical Lead & Architect
FIWARE Foundation
dennis.wendland@fiware.org

BackupData Spaces Business Alliance (DSBA): joining forces
BDVA, FIWARE, GAIA-X and IDSA launched
the Data Spaces Business Alliance (DSBA)
to accelerate Business Transformation in
the Data Economy (Sep 23rd, 2021)• One voice and a common framework to makeinteroperable Data Spaces happen;• Together, the Alliance’s founding organisations
represent 1,000+ leading key industry players;• With its combined cross-industry expertise,resources and know-how, the Alliance drives
awareness and rely on more than 100 Hubs fordissemination• Technical Convergence discussions towards
common reference technology framework forcreation of Data Spaces:○Agile approach based on delivery of subsequentversions of a Minimum Viable Framework (MVF)
specification where we do not only identify standards
and target components but how to integrate them○Once alignment on relevant topics within several of theongoing workstreams is achieved, the publication of a
new version of the DSBA Technology Convergence
document will be published to incentivize development ofcompliant implementations

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