That could be true if the scheme didn’t extend beyond the uniform set of agreements, but two development projects ran in parallel with the process to develop the scheme. Firstly, all functional and technical agreements were immediately converted into working software. This was the so-called ‘reference implementation’ to check and continuously improve the set of agreements. Secondly, the agreements were tested by the participating logistics-related organisations in various proofs of concepts (POCs).

iSHARE has been developed to solve data-sharing problems in the transport and logistics sector, but that does not mean that a completely new set of agreements has been created. Wherever possible, iSHARE makes use of existing solutions, which is why eHerkenning and Idensys are also included in the project.

The co-creation process took place in 2017 and iSHARE has been available for use by everyone in the sector since January 2018.

Following the successful implementation of iSHARE by the launching partners – a pioneering group of leading logistics companies and their customers – other organisations are now being inspired to follow in their footsteps.

The process is key to the success of the iSHARE project. We have developed iSHARE in conjunction with organisations that represent a cross-section of the sector: all modalities, organisations of all shapes and sizes, public-sector and private-sector organisations, data providers/data recipients and their software suppliers.

We cannot cover the whole world with our project, but we have actively sought connections with other local, European and international organisations. We talked with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs for example, and various participants helped us to safeguard the international link in our POCs.

Besides that, we believe it is our responsibility to take a very close look at what is already available in order to avoid duplication of work. During our investigative phase it became clear that many agreements have already been formalized in the areas of identification and authentication, and we could reuse many of them. However, there was still a lot of development work to do relating to authorization. 

The iSHARE approach has bee aimed at involving as many relevant industry partners as possible in the development of the scheme. This integral and inclusive approach is unique and sets us apart.

In the past, the solutions have always looked at one specific situation in isolation, which failed to take sufficient account of interconnections and cross-fertilization of ideas. The iSHARE project is based on identifying and developing common interests between partners. This approach has resulted in the majority of the sector understanding the significance of iSHARE.

The iSHARE uniform set of agreements for identification, authentication and authorization enables everyone to share data with everyone else in the logistics sector in a simple and controlled way – including with new and hitherto unknown partners.

Through iSHARE, the Netherlands’ Logistics Top Sector is keen to eliminate data-sharing barriers, to stimulate supply chain collaboration and to scale up, accelerate and successfully connect existing digital data-exchange initiatives.

The iSHARE project is an initiative of the Netherlands’ Logistics Top Sector.