June was a month full of interesting events. Earlier, I – Greet, Enterprise Architect at Sirus – wrote about the FIWARE Global Summit, where the growing interest in data spaces stood out. Towards the end of June, we were also present at the ‘Gebruikersdag Smart Data‘ organized by Digitaal Vlaanderen. Spoiler alert! Data spaces were prominently featured there as well 😉
What is the ‘Gebruikersdag Smart Data’?
Digitaal Vlaanderen organizes user days throughout the year focusing on specific themes. The goal is to bring together (potential) users and other stakeholders to inform them, exchange knowledge and experiences, and, of course, network within the ecosystem related to the theme. The ‘Gebruikersdag Smart Data’ revolved around facilitating the smooth flow of data between various stakeholders in a diverse ecosystem of public and private players.
Presentations following 3 central themes
In addition to a general panel discussion on the Digital Strategy for Flanders, the presentations were grouped into three central themes: ‘Sustainable Data Sharing’, ‘From “Wicked Problems” to Opportunities’, and ‘From Local Government to EU’ (and vice versa). Personally, I found the first track particularly interesting. LDES (Linked Data Event Streams) and data spaces were extensively discussed. The track opened with an engaging presentation by Esther De Loof from Solidlab, which explored how the various initiatives and players in the Flemish ecosystem related to OSLO, Solid, and LDES are interconnected. Following that, there were presentations on LDES itself, its applications, several use cases utilizing the components of VSDS (Vlaamse Smart Data Space), and various initiatives related to data spaces, such as the international marine data space by Maregraph.
Smart Data Ecosystem
In the Sustainable Data Sharing track, our CEO Gert De Tant had the opportunity to speak alongside Dwight Van Lancker from Digitaal Vlaanderen about FIWARE and the role of LDES. As Sirus, we were mentioned multiple times as an important partner in the Smart Data ecosystem – always nice to hear :-).
It was a very successful user day with engaging presentations and a pleasant reunion with several partners – and even a few old acquaintances.
Curious to know more about data spaces?
Check our blog about the FIWARE Global Summit 2023.
Curious to know more about LDES?
Our Linked Data Engineer Brecht will gladly elaborate on this topic.
