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eSSIF-Lab Objectives

Purpose​

The purpose of the eSSIF-Lab is to specify, develop and validate technological and non-technological (e.g. governance) means that support people, businesses and governments to think about, design, adapt, and operate their (information) processes such that they can negotiate and conduct business transactions with one another using the electronic support provided by the various SSI technologies.

Objectives​

For this purpose, eSSIF-Lab has set the following objectives to realize:

Empower European and other citizens​

The results of the work done in eSSIF-Lab should contribute to provide individuals with means that help them to electronically negotiate and conduct transactions in the widest sense of the word. Such means make it easier for them to participate in transactions, both on the Internet and in physical life.

Criteria to determine that the objective is fulfilled include:

  • logins (username, password) are eliminated.
  • people can fill in forms (e.g. for applying for products or services) fast, and easily.
  • people are protected from transacting with malicious parties.
  • people find the provided means helpful as they seek to exercise their rights under privacy acts such as the GDPR.

Empower European and other organizations and governments​

The results of the work done in eSSIF-Lab should contribute to provide organizations (e.g. enterprises, governments) with means that help them to electronically negotiate and conduct transactions in the widest sense of the word. Such means make it easier for them to participate in transactions, both on the Internet and in physical life.

Criteria to determine that the objective is fulfilled include:

  • the costs of validating the data that organizations need to determine whether or not to commit to a transaction, is significantly reduced.
  • the lead time of (administrative) processes, such as applying for a product or service, is significantly reduced.
  • the efforts of satisfying the requirements regarding their duties under privacy acts such as the GDPR, and showing compliance, is significantly reduced.
  • new business ecosystem paradigms materialize, with thousands of new jobs, many new job categories and new business opportunities for existing and new European companies.

Design and Develop an SSI Infrastructure​

The SSI-Infrastructure* is the 'hard' (IT) Infrastructure that we need to generically support parties (enterprises, governments, individuals, ...). The result of the work done in eSSIF-Lab should contribute to the creation (and maintenance) of components that are fitting in an SSI Infrastructure.

Criteria to determine that the objective is fulfilled include:

  • 'horizontal interoperability', i.e. the components that are part of the SSI Infrastructure work (interoperate) with other components of that infrastructure;
  • 'vertical interoperability', i.e. the components that are part of the SSI Infrastructure can be used very easily by application software and other non-infrastructural (technical) components,
  • 'documentation interoperability', i.e. ensuring/facilitating that documentation of the infrastructural (and perhaps other) components can use a single, well-defined terminology that is based on validated mental models.

Design and Develop SSI Assurance Communities​

SSI Assurance Communities (ACs) is the 'soft' Infrastructure that complements the (hard) SSI Infrastructure. The result of the work done in eSSIF-Lab should contribute to the creation (and maintenance) of communities that provide governance, management and optionally technical components and or services that facilitate the adoption of SSI and transformation of its members internal organization, processes and IT, such that it can start, or continue to use the SSI infrastructure and reap its projected benefits.

Criteria to determine that the objective is fulfilled include:

  • the number of SSI Assurance Communities is non-zero, and growing;
  • processes, procedures and other mechanisms for the governance of SSI-related technology, data and administrative processes have become available and are being used;'
  • (IT) tooling that supports SSI-ACs become available, such as credential catalogues, accreditation schemes that apply to the issuing of certain kinds of credentials, etc.