Question 1

Is DATUM Data Space Gateway a European data space?

Accepted Answer

No. It is an advanced DATUM capability that enables organisations to participate in data sharing ecosystems in a governed way. It is aligned with the Common European Data Spaces framework and the Eclipse Dataspace Protocol, but it is not itself a European data space or the implementation of a specific sectoral initiative.

Question 2

Does it replace internal data governance?

Accepted Answer

No. The Gateway extends internal governance beyond the organisational perimeter. DATUM remains the platform that governs data within the organisation. The Gateway operates at the federated edge, not in the core.

Question 3

Can all data be shared?

Accepted Answer

No. Only assets that have been certified, classified for external use and authorised by their Data Owner may be published. Data with restricted classification, personal data without adequate anonymisation or assets without minimum metadata cannot be published.

Question 4

Does it also work for consuming external data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Gateway is bidirectional: it allows publishing internal assets in external ecosystems and consuming assets published by third parties, integrating them into the DATUM circuit with full origin traceability, quality validation and lineage.

Question 5

What maturity level does the organisation need?

Accepted Answer

Operational internal governance is needed: active Data Owners, a catalogue with functional metadata, at least one certified data product, data security classification and basic Data Office operations. Without that foundation, the Gateway cannot operate correctly.

Question 6

Is it a base or advanced DATUM feature?

Accepted Answer

It is the Domain Sovereignty & Data Sharing Pack add-on of DATUM. It is not part of the base product core. It is activated when the client has the necessary maturity and wants to extend data governance to governed external sharing.

Question 7

What kind of data can be monetised?

Accepted Answer

Only assets that are certified, governed and authorised by their Data Owner for external use. In practice this applies to derived data products (market aggregates, benchmarks, behavioural models, curated datasets from a domain) and rarely to raw transactional data. Personal data without proper anonymisation, restricted-classification data and assets without functional metadata cannot be monetised: they require prior governance, classification and data product work before being offered to third parties.

Question 8

What commercial models does DATUM support for data monetisation?

Accepted Answer

Three main and combinable models. Per use: the buyer pays per measured consumption (queries, downloads, API calls). Per subscription: continued access to the asset for a period, with formal and revocable conditions. Per partnership: agreed exchange between organisations, with or without direct economic compensation, common in sectoral consortiums. DATUM does not impose the model — it records the commercial terms agreed with the buyer and provides the technical evidence (accesses, versions, duration) that supports billing or contract compliance.

Question 9

How do you prevent the buyer from replicating or redistributing the data?

Accepted Answer

Through three combined layers. Contractual layer: usage conditions and the prohibition of redistribution are formalised in the agreement between parties. Technical layer: DATUM records every access with verified identity, version, timestamp and declared purpose, leaving an audit trail that can be invoked legally. Revocation layer: access to the asset can be effectively cancelled if the contract is breached. Absolute protection against non-technical replication (screen captures, human memorisation) does not exist in any system, but the combined technical-contractual approach meets the standards required in banking, healthcare and other regulated sectors.

Question 10

Is there a real case of data monetisation with DATUM?

Accepted Answer

There are DATUM implementations in production and cases of governed data product publishing across different clients. Pure data monetisation as a revenue line — assets published with formalised commercial models to external third parties — is an emerging scenario in some clients, not yet a mass practice. It is honest to say that the technology piece is mature, the contractual models too, and what is often missing is the client strategic decision on which data to monetise and under which model. The governed sharing assessment supports that decision.

Frequently asked questions and organisational readiness

Organizational readiness is not a prerequisite.

What your organisation needs before implementing Data Space Gateway

Four concrete outputs from evaluating preparation

Connect with the next layer

Want to know if your organisation is ready?