Open Data Spaces (ODS) Deliverables Released

The Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA, President: Yutaka Saito), has compiled and released key deliverables related to Open Data Spaces (ODS) on April 1, 2026, as a result of its architecture design oversight and advisory activities for data spaces, which began in August 2025. These deliverables are openly available to establish global interoperability of distributed data management across companies, organizations, and national borders, and to accelerate the social implementation of a real-data utilization platform that supports the advancement of AI.

### ■ Overview of Open Data Spaces
Open Data Spaces (ODS) is a technical concept for open, scalable, and distributed data management that respects the diversity of each country and organization.

Regarding ODS, the IPA Digital Architecture Design Center (DADC) released a white paper as an initial concept in February 2025 (Note 1). From August 2025, DADC has fully initiated architecture design oversight, protocol design, and middleware development advisory activities (Note 3) as part of the “Data Collaboration System Development and Demonstration Project for the Realization of the Uranos Ecosystem (NEDO Project)” implemented by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) (Note 2). In October 2025, through a joint promotion agreement (Note 4) with the Data Society Alliance (DSA), the Robot Revolution and Industrial IoT Initiative (RRI), and the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies at the University of Tokyo, DADC has served as the secretariat for ODS global promotion. Following subsequent design oversight and compilation activities, this collection of deliverables has been compiled.

### ■ 2025 ODS Design Oversight Activity Deliverables
The main deliverables related to ODS for this fiscal year are listed in Table 1 below. Please check the respective links for information on the credit and license handling of each deliverable.

**(Table) List of ODS Design Oversight Activity Deliverables for FY2025**

| Deliverable (Artifact) | Overview | URL |
| :--------------------- | :------- | :-- |
| Why Open Dataspaces: Design Philosophy and Architectural Paradigm | A document explaining the design philosophy and architectural paradigm of ODS, a new technical paradigm for distributed data management that transcends organizations, companies, and national borders. | Japanese Site | Why Open Dataspaces: 設計思想とアーキテクチャパラダイム \n English | Why Open Dataspaces: Design Philosophy and the Architectural Paradigm |
| Open Data Spaces Reference Architecture Model (ODS-RAM) V2 | A reference architecture for distributed data management that spans companies, industries, and national borders. A reference document comprising technical paradigms, hierarchical structure models, and protocol relationships. | Japanese Site | Open Data Spaces リファレンスアーキテクチャモデル（ODS-RAM） \n English | Open Data Spaces Reference Architecture Model V2 (ODS-RAM V2) |
| Open Data Spaces Protocols (ODP) | A set of documentation that defines technical specifications and standard operations to be implemented to ensure interoperability of distributed data management technology based on ODS-RAM. | Japanese Site | Open Data Spaces プロトコル（ODP） \n English | Open Data Spaces Protocols (ODP) |
| Open Data Spaces Middleware | A collection of open-source software that provides a reference implementation of ODS Protocols (ODP). | Japanese/English Site | Open Data Spaces Middleware |
| Open Data Spaces Software Development Kit (SDK for Onboarding / SDK for Semantics) | A set of SDKs (Software Development Kits) and documentation for ODS developers. | Japanese/English Site | Open Data Spaces ソフトウェア開発キット |
| Open Data Spaces Entry Guidebook for Operators (for Development Operators) | A guidebook that organizes perspectives for software and data-related service providers to consider when entering the data space business, including whether to participate, their potential roles, and how to allocate initial investments. | Japanese Site | Open Data Spaces 事業者向け参入ガイドブック（開発事業者向け） |
| Open Data Spaces Entry Guidebook for Operators (for User Operators) | A guidebook that organizes perspectives for practitioners and business planning managers in companies and government agencies who utilize or implement data management and AI services to consider when entering the data space business, including whether to participate, their potential roles, and how to allocate initial investments. | Japanese Site | Open Data Spaces 事業者向け参入ガイドブック（ユーザー事業者向け） \n English | Open Data Spaces Introductory Guidebook for Users |
| Open Data Spaces Introductory Guidebook for Engineers | A guidebook for engineers who adopt, introduce, or provide ODS services, offering initial guidelines to understand its technical overview and basics, and to begin design, implementation, and operation. | Japanese Site | Open Data Spaces 技術者向け導入ガイドブック \n English | Open Data Spaces Introductory Guidebook for Developers |

### ■ Future Policy
The deliverables compiled this time will be exhibited as part of “ODS Explore,” a lecture and exhibition aimed at promoting awareness and dissemination of ODS, at “Hannover Messe 2026,” one of the world's largest international trade fairs for the manufacturing industry, to be held in Hanover, Germany, from April 20 to April 24, 2026 (Note 5).

In a world driven by the AI revolution, data, which determines the competitiveness of software that creates added value for services, has become an extremely important element in the digital industry. In industries such as automotive and robotics, where the relationship between software and hardware is being reversed, strategic data sharing driven by software is now a management issue that determines the very competitiveness of companies. Furthermore, to solve social issues such as achieving carbon neutrality and realizing a circular economy, as well as economic challenges like responding to supply chain disruptions, it is necessary to build a mechanism that can securely share and distribute data across companies, industries, and national borders. IPA will continue to promote activities to solve these challenges through ODS.