🎨Data Space Designers

The Complexity of Designing Data Spaces

Designing a data space is no simple task. Think of it like building a massive marketplace where organisations and different parties come together to share their data efficiently, safely, and fairly. This data space must operate under clear guidelines and rules so that everyone benefits without confusion or conflict. It’s not just about connecting computers; it's about building an environment where every participant—whether large or small—has something valuable to offer and gain.

To make this happen, you need to work through three essential layers: the business layer, the governance layer, and the technology layer.

Business Layer

The first layer, the business layer, is all about incentives—who gets what and why they should be part of the data space. For a data space to work, organisations need to find value in participating. They should be able to access valuable data that helps them solve problems, make better decisions, or improve their services. It’s like a marketplace where every vendor and customer finds something they need, whether it’s raw data for research, insights for business growth, or innovations for better customer service.

For example, if you’re building a health data space, hospitals might want to easily store and share patient records. Researchers might want access to anonymised data to improve treatments, while patients will need control over who can access their sensitive information. The key to a successful data space is that all participants find value in the exchange of data, making the space sustainable and attractive.

Governance Layer

Technology Layer

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The Role of Federation in Data Spaces

As data spaces grow, it becomes harder for one organization to manage everything. This is where federation comes in. In a federated data space, different parties help manage specific parts of the system. These helpers, or federated bodies, ensure that the data space remains organised, secure, and functional, even as more participants join.

Federation also leads to decentralisation, where no single group or person controls the entire data space. Instead, different sections look after themselves, but they all agree on basic principles. This decentralisation spreads out responsibility, making the system more flexible and fair. Everyone has a role, and no single entity holds all the power.

For example, in a large smart city data space, you might have one group managing traffic data, another handling energy usage, and yet another responsible for public transportation data. These groups work together under shared rules but manage their own sections independently.

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Aligning the Design Phase with the Use Case

Before you even begin building a data space, it’s essential to align the design with the specific use case. This means gathering ideas from all potential participants and figuring out how they will use the data space to meet their needs.

For instance, let’s consider a health data space. Hospitals want to securely store and share patient records. Researchers need access to anonymised data for studies, while patients want to control who sees their data. These different use cases must be aligned so that all participants can share data and benefit from it.

The key is to start small—perhaps with just a few hospitals sharing basic patient information—and expand later by adding more participants and features as the system proves itself. This approach ensures that the data space remains manageable and functional as it grows.

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Balancing Business Needs with Technical Innovation

A key challenge in designing data spaces is balancing business needs with technological innovation.

Let’s look at a smart city data space as an example. City planners might need real-time traffic data to manage flow and public transportation efficiently. On the other hand, tech companies might want to use that data to create new apps, like smart parking solutions or real-time traffic updates.

The city must balance its resources: ensuring that essential services like traffic lights and buses run smoothly while encouraging innovation that could improve quality of life. If the city only focuses on the basic services, it risks missing out on groundbreaking solutions. But if it focuses too much on the latest technology, it could lose track of the essential services people rely on every day.

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Building from Scratch vs. Harmonising Existing Technology

When building a data space, organisations face a big decision: should they build from scratch or use existing technology? Building from scratch offers full customisation to meet specific needs, but it’s costly, time-consuming, and risky.

On the other hand, using existing technology is faster and cheaper because the solution is already proven. However, it may not offer the same level of customisation. For many organisations, this trade-off between speed and control is a critical decision.

For example, a logistics company might use common infrastructure but build a custom tool that directly connects their fleet of trucks with the stores they deliver to. This allows them to see every aspect of the data flow, design security protocols and data management systems.

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The Foundation of a Data Space: Infrastructure

The infrastructure behind data spaces is like the foundation of a building—it must be strong, flexible, and capable of growing as demands increase. As more participants join a data space, the system must scale up to accommodate more users and data.

Efficient infrastructure ensures that data can be shared quickly and reliably, even as the volume of data grows. Maintenance and upgrades are also crucial for keeping the data space relevant, secure, and functional.

For example, in a health data space that starts with a few hospitals, the infrastructure must grow to handle more healthcare providers as they join. This might involve upgrading servers, improving bandwidth, or introducing cloud-based systems that can adapt to the needs of the data space.

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Conclusion

Designing and managing a data space is a complex, multi-layered process that requires careful planning and execution. To succeed, you need to ensure that the data space fits the needs of all participants, balances basic necessities with innovative technologies, and makes strategic decisions on whether to build from scratch or leverage existing solutions. Clear governance and infrastructure sustainability are the cornerstones of a functional, secure, and future-proof data space that can serve its participants effectively for years to come.