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Data Space Governance Framework - VSDS
Client story

Capgemini Invent empowers the Flemish government with a robust data governance framework for smart data spaces

Client: Flanders Digital Agency, Flemish Government
Region: Belgium
Industry: Public Sector

Laying the Foundation for a Data-Driven Future

Capgemini Invent partnered with Flanders Digital Agency to develop a comprehensive and robust governance framework for the Flanders Smart Data Space (VSDS). The Flanders Smart Data Space is an initiative by the Flemish Government aligned with the European data strategy aiming to foster a data-driven society. It is designed to support emerging data ecosystems and data spaces in Flanders. By addressing governance challenges, the new framework paves the way for a structured, secure, and sustainable approach for data exchange across key topics and among various stakeholders, including government agencies, local authorities, research institutions, and private sector entities in Flanders.

Addressing Governance Challenges: Building a Framework for Data Spaces

The purpose of the governance framework is to provide a blueprint for managing the thematic data spaces within the VSDS. Several challenges and dilemmas needed to be addressed, including:

Given Capgemini’s considerable experience with data space-related projects at EU level, Flanders Digital Agency chose Capgemini as their preferred partner to address these challenges.

  • Governance structure: Identifying who would take responsibility of the governance framework, and clarifying how participants can join or leave.
  • Membership, certification, and benefits: Defining the benefits for members of the VSDS, including the scope of services provided, such as training, certification, and compliance support, and how these services should be managed.
  • Role of VSDS: Clarifying the role of the VSDS in supporting the rollout, setup, and management of thematic data spaces, and determining the extent of its regulatory and operational involvement.

Building a Strong Foundation for Data Governance: Capgemini Invent’s Framework for Flanders Smart Data Spaces

In collaboration with the Flanders Digital agency, Capgemini developed a well-defined, well-structured, and detailed governance framework for the Flanders  Smart Data Space (VSDS) addressing the identified challenges.

The framework covers the core principles each thematic data space under the VSDS must adhere to, such as ensuring data is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR); creating a collaborative public-private ecosystem; promoting decentralized data sharing solutions; using standards and open-source components; ensuring data is up-to-date and of high quality; striving for the use of linked data (LDES); and defining clear conditions for data usage to balance open and closed data requirements.

It establishes clear roles within data spaces and the VSDS ecosystem. It distinguishes between different roles within data spaces and the VSDS ecosystem, including core participant roles that describe the data publisher and data client roles, central necessary roles, and optional central roles. Additionally, it defines that the VSDS functions as a support centre and has an overarching role related to the support and coordination of the thematic data spaces under the VSDS, including data standards, metadata management, certification/audit, document management, European collaboration, community engagement, and training.

A comprehensive participant declaration template was created, setting clear objectives and expectations for participation and collaboration within the thematic data spaces.

The governance framework outlines clear guidelines on data sharing. It focused on creating and maintaining a framework to ensure sustainability, promoting compliance to data standards and technical building blocks to enable data publication and usage.

Shaping the Future of Smart Data Spaces with Capgemini Invent and Flanders Digital Agency

This project was an insightful application of reconciling both technical and logical aspects of data to build a clear and concise governance framework. For Capgemini Invent, this collaboration is a testament to our expertise, and we are grateful for Digital Flanders to entrust us with the responsibility to co-create the document.

Interested in reading more about the collaboration with Digital Flanders? Read the complete framework here which was originally published on the official website of the Flemish Government: (Available only in Dutch)

Looking to collaborate with us on your business transformation needs? Contact us now, and we will be happy to discuss this.

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