Glossary

Aerospace-X

Aerospace-X is a sector initiative under the umbrella of Manufacturing-X, to develop and apply common principles and standards for secure and standardized data exchange via a dataspace across the aerospace value chain.

Advisory service provider

An advisory service provider supports organizations in understanding and leveraging a dataspace by offering consulting services such as strategy development, use case identification, and best-practice guidance.

Asset Administration Shell (AAS)

The AAS is a standardized framework for representing a physical or logical asset in a structured, machine-readable way, enabling interoperability in Industry 4.0 applications.

Business application provider

A business application provider is a company offering interoperable apps that integrate with the dataspace to support specific business needs.

Business Partner Number (BPN)

The BPN is a unique number, provided by Cofinity-X to allow trusted dataspace participants to exchange data with verified partners.

Catena-X

Catena-X is an open and collaborative data ecosystem for the automotive industry that enables standardized, sovereign, and interoperable data exchange across companies and systems.

Chem-X

Chem-X is an industry initiative under the umbrella of Manufacturing-X, focused on the chemical sector, working to establish common principles and standards that enable secure, interoperable, and data-driven collaboration via a dataspace across the chemical value chain.

Clearing House

Clearing House refers to an independent body which validates company data in the registration process.

Conformity assessment body

A conformity assessment body evaluates and verifies that organizations, components, or services meet the defined dataspace standards and requirements, ensuring interoperability and compliance.

Core services

Core services are essential infrastructure components within a dataspace (e.g. identity management, data contracts, registry) that enable secure, interoperable data exchange between participants.

Core service provider

A core service provider delivers those fundamental, shared services that are essential for operating a dataspace. An example for a core service provider is Cofinity-X.

Credentials

Credentials are verifiable digital proofs used to confirm identity, roles, or compliance. Currently, the main credential used is the Business Parter Number Credential, which establishes trust and governance in the network.

Data consumer

Data consumer are participants in the dataspace that access data and APIs from others.

Data contract

A data contract defines the terms, conditions, and policies for accessing and using data between participants in a dataspace.

Data provider

Data provider are participants in the dataspace that make data and APIs available.

Data provisioning

Data provisioning is the process of making data available and accessible within a dataspace, ensuring it is properly prepared, formatted, and shared securely for use by authorized participants.

Data sovereignty

Data sovereignty means that each organization retains full control over its own data, including who can access it, under what conditions, and for what purpose.

Dataspace

A dataspace is a decentralized and federated environment in which participants can exchange data securely and in compliance with agreed standards and governance frameworks.

Decentralization

Decentralization refers to the principle that no central authority controls the dataspace, ensuring all participants operate independently, manage their own data and systems, and that no single party has control over all data, making access to all data by any central authority impossible.

Digital product passport

The digital product passport is a structured digital record containing productspecific data (e.g., materials, lifecycle, compliance) shared across the value chain.

Digital twin

A digital twin is a virtual model that mirrors a physical object, system, or process, enabling real-time monitoring, simulation, and analysis.

Digital twin registry

The digital twin registry is a directory that stores and manages references to digital twins, allowing participants to discover and retrieve asset-related data.

Ecosystem

Ecosystem refers to a network of organizations collaborating through shared standards, infrastructure, and dataspaces to drive innovation and interoperability. In this context, ecosystem is used as an equivalent term for dataspace.

Eclipse Dataspace Components Connector (EDC) 

An EDC connector is a core technology enabling secure and sovereign data exchange within dataspaces, such as Catena-X. The connector manages multiple processes. It allows users to publish data offerings to a shared catalog and to discover offerings from others. It provides means to get access to the data offerings by negotiating access agreements between the consumer and the provider.

Eclipse Foundation

The Eclipse Foundation is a non-profit organization that hosts open-source projects, including components used in Catena-X and other dataspaces (such as the EDC and Tractus-X).

Eclipse Tractus-X

Eclipse Tractus-X is the official open-source project in the Catena-X ecosystem under the umbrella of the Eclipse Foundation and the largest of its kind.

Enablement Service Provider

An Enablement Service Provider (ESP) is responsible for deploying, operating, and maintaining enablement services according to Catena-X standards. This includes for example the provision of an EDC connector or training, technical resources, and process development.

Factory-X

Factory-X is an industry initiative under the umbrella of Manufacturing-X, focused on manufacturing environments, promoting interoperable data exchange and improved transparency via a dataspace on shop floors.

Gaia-X 

Gaia-X is a European initiative to create a federated data infrastructure based on transparency, data sovereignty, and interoperability between cloud and edge services.

International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) 

IDSA is a non-profit organization that defines reference architectures and standards for secure and sovereign data exchange, forming the basis for many European dataspaces, including Catena-X.

Interoperability

Interoperability refers to the ability of different systems, applications, and organizations to work together seamlessly by exchanging and interpreting data in a consistent and meaningful way.

Manufacturing-X

Manufacturing-X is a large-scale initiative aiming to establish a sovereign, interoperable data infrastructure for the entire manufacturing sector, built on principles similar to Catena-X.

Onboarding service provider 

An onboarding service provider supports organizations in joining a dataspace, offering services such as technical integration, identity management, and compliance checks.

Operator

An operator is an entity that provides and maintains essential infrastructure components (such as registries or identity services) within a dataspace, enabling participants to connect and exchange data.

Policies

Policies define the rules and conditions for data usage, including access rights, constraints, and obligations, and are enforced automatically during data transactions.

Portal

The portal is the central user interface for accessing services, managing credentials, discovering data, and administering participation in the dataspace ecosystem (e.g. Catena-X Portal).

Semantic model

A semantic model defines the structure and meaning of data in a standardized way, enabling systems to interpret and use shared data correctly and consistently.

Service provider

Service provider are companies offering interoperable services or consultancy within the dataspace to meet specific business or technical needs.

Standard

A standard is a documented agreement containing technical specifications or guidelines to ensure interoperability, quality, and consistency within dataspaces.

Submodel

A submodel is a modular part of an Asset Administration Shell that focuses on a specific aspect of an asset, such as sustainability, quality, or maintenance data.

Submodel service

A submodel service stores and provides access to specific submodels of an Asset Administration Shell, allowing applications to retrieve and use structured data from digital twins.

Technical user

A technical user describes a non-human identity (e.g., system, machine, API) assigned a specific set of rights within the dataspace, used to authenticate and perform predefined or automated tasks

Use case credentials 

Use case credentials are verified attributes or digital proofs that show an organization’s eligibility or compliance to participate in specific use cases within the dataspace.

Wallet

A wallet is a digital identity and credential management component in the dataspace. Participants can either use the Wallet Provisioning Service provided by the operator or bring their own wallet (BYOW) to manage credentials independently.

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