The Confederation is drawing up foundations for the Swiss data ecosystem. These are designed to help organisations create interoperable and trustworthy data spaces.
The Confederation is in the process of drawing up two foundations covering both organisational and technical aspects of the data ecosystem:
- Governance principles outline the organisational and structural framework conditions that are necessary for efficient collaboration in the Swiss data ecosystem. They create trust by defining clear rules for the multiple use of data.
- Architectural principles set out recommendations on how data spaces should be constructed. They may include basic standards and specifications to ensure that data spaces are designed to be interoperable.
These foundations create a common basis enabling collaboration in the Swiss data ecosystem. They create a common language and help to overcome technical and organisational hurdles. The Confederation aims to achieve the following objectives with the common principles and aids:
- Reduce the effort required to set up new data spaces, as existing experience and preliminary work can be built upon.
- Implement common principles to make data spaces interoperable. Data will be usable across data spaces and sectors, regardless of the underlying technologies or platforms.
- In addition, common principles minimise uncertainties among stakeholders.
Process to develop common principles
The common principles are being developed in an ongoing process that is aligned with the needs of the stakeholder groups. To this end, the Federal Chancellery is in dialogue with a range of data space projects. Moreover, ongoing preparatory work in the area of multiple data use, both in Switzerland and abroad, is taken into account and adopted where appropriate or adapted where necessary. This efficient approach promotes interoperability with other projects in Switzerland and abroad.
Established key principles are regularly reviewed and adapted to take account of technological progress and changing social expectations. The Federal Chancellery is responsible for this work. In order to gain broad-based support for the principles, it has set up two communities of practice (CoPs). CoP members regularly meet to discuss and further develop the foundations of the Swiss data ecosystem, contributing their data-sharing experience to this process.
List of principles
Code of conduct for trustworthy data spaces
The code of conduct describes the design of trustworthy data spaces on the basis of four basic trust-building principles and gives them tangible form as a set of possible implementation measures. Users must be able to trust a data space, and digital self-determination is a basic prerequisite for this. Trust rests on users' ability to have control over their data and to decide for themselves which data they share, who they share it with, for what purpose and for how long. The code of conduct serves as a recommendation for the Federal Administration and is not legally binding.
Building blocks of data spaces in the Swiss data ecosystem
This document (in German) serves as a guideline for structuring data spaces in the Swiss data ecosystem using a standardised set of building blocks. The building blocks cover the key aspects of data spaces in all sectors. The guideline contains both technical and organisational building blocks and identifies existing preparatory work in Switzerland and the EU for each of them.
The Federal Chancellery will continue to work on additional principles, which will be updated on an ongoing basis. Details will be published here.
Further information
Contact
Federal Chancellery
Digital Transformation and ICT Steering DTI Sector
Monbijoustrasse 91
3003 Bern