Personal Data Store

Personal Data Store

Team Organizations	Urban.Systems CodePDX Dataswyft Open Wallet Foundation Inrupt Beckn FIDE Solid
Team Leaders	Wilfred Pinfold Hugh Harker
Participating Municipalities	Portland OR
Status	Master Planning
Document	None

Description

This initiative brings together industry, government, academic and non-governmental organizations to create a collaborative ecosystem for interoperable personal data management. Leveraging NIST’s expertise in advancing measurement science, standards, and technology to enhance innovation and economic security, the initiative will define a unified framework of APIs, data ontologies, and interfaces that enable seamless interoperability across personal data stores. Open to organizations across all industries, including finance, healthcare, transportation, and municipal and social services, this effort empowers individuals with autonomy over their data while fostering trust, accountability, and innovation. Together, these partners aim to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve quality of life through secure, ethical, and interoperable personal data solutions.

Challenges

This initiative will face several challenges, including aligning diverse organizational priorities and technical approaches to create universally accepted standards and APIs for personal data stores. Ensuring interoperability across varied industries, such as finance, healthcare, and transportation, while maintaining data security, privacy, and user autonomy, will require robust collaboration. Addressing regulatory and legal complexities across different jurisdictions and ensuring compliance with global data protection laws will be critical. Additionally, fostering trust among stakeholders, overcoming resistance to change, and managing the scalability and sustainability of the infrastructure pose significant hurdles. The initiative must also mitigate the risk of unequal access and ensure inclusivity to avoid leaving smaller organizations or underserved populations behind.

Solutions

To address these challenges, the initiative will establish a collaborative framework that prioritizes stakeholder engagement and consensus-building to align diverse priorities and technical approaches. By leveraging the expertise of partners like NIST, it will develop open, standards-based APIs, ontologies, and interfaces that promote interoperability across industries while safeguarding data security, privacy, and user autonomy. A comprehensive approach to regulatory compliance will ensure alignment with global data protection laws, supported by legal and ethical guidelines. To foster trust, the initiative will emphasize transparency, inclusive governance, and equitable participation for organizations of all sizes. Scalable and sustainable solutions, such as modular architectures and decentralized data systems, will address infrastructure concerns, while targeted outreach and capacity-building efforts will ensure inclusivity and accessibility for all stakeholders, including underserved populations.

Major Requirements

This initiative requires active participation from a diverse range of stakeholders, including industry leaders, non-profit organizations, regulatory bodies, and academic institutions, to ensure the development of interoperable and standards-based solutions for personal data stores. It demands expertise in open-source software development, data ontology design, and API architecture to create robust, scalable, and secure systems. Adequate funding and resource allocation will be essential to support research, development, and ongoing collaboration. Clear governance structures and ethical guidelines are needed to ensure inclusivity, transparency, and alignment with global data protection laws. Strong partnerships with organizations like NIST will be critical for advancing standards, while engagement with industries such as finance, healthcare, transportation, and municipal services will ensure the solutions meet diverse real-world needs. Additionally, public awareness and education initiatives will be required to foster trust and adoption among users and organizations.

Performance Targets

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)	Measurement Methods
Number of Participating Organizations API and Data Ontology Adoption Regulatory Compliance Milestones Security and Privacy Standards Implementation User Adoption Rate Cross-Industry Collaboration Public Awareness and Engagement Governance and Stakeholder Engagement Impact on Data Democratization Sustainability and Funding	Track the number of organizations across industries (e.g., finance, healthcare, transportation, municipal services) joining the initiative and adopting its standards and solutions. Measure the number of successful API integrations and data ontology implementations across sectors, indicating the initiative’s ability to foster interoperability. Track progress toward meeting relevant regulatory requirements and data privacy standards (e.g., GDPR, CCPA). Evaluate the implementation of best practices for security and privacy across the ecosystem, including encryption and user consent mechanisms. Measure the rate at which individuals and organizations are adopting personal data store technologies and using them to manage and control data. Track the number of partnerships and collaborations established between industry sectors, including with regulatory bodies and academic institutions like NIST. Assess the growth of public engagement through outreach programs, educational initiatives, and participation in governance. Monitor the participation level in the initiative’s governance structures, including decision-making processes, and the involvement of diverse stakeholders. Measure the initiative's effect on empowering individuals to control and share their data, contributing to data sovereignty and transparency. Track the financial sustainability of the initiative, including funding, grants, and resource allocation for ongoing development and research.

Standards, Replicability, Scalability, and Sustainability

The standards critical to this initiative include interoperability standards for Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), data ontologies, and data exchange protocols that facilitate seamless integration across diverse personal data stores. These standards are designed to ensure secure, private, and efficient data sharing while empowering individuals with control over their own data. Key privacy and security standards such as those outlined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) will be essential, ensuring compliance with global data protection requirements. Additionally, standards related to decentralized identity management, authentication, and authorization protocols will be crucial to ensure the secure, user-consent-based exchange of data. Furthermore, adherence to open-source principles and collaboration with industry standards bodies, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will ensure the initiative remains at the forefront of evolving technologies while enabling cross-sector adoption in finance, healthcare, and beyond.

Cybersecurity and Privacy

Cybersecurity is a cornerstone of this initiative, as it ensures the protection of personal data stored and exchanged across decentralized systems. Given the sensitive nature of the data involved, including health, financial, and social service information, robust cybersecurity measures are essential to safeguard against data breaches, unauthorized access, and cyberattacks. This initiative will prioritize encryption, secure authentication, and access control mechanisms to ensure that data remains confidential, integrity is maintained, and users’ privacy is respected. Furthermore, compliance with global security standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 and adherence to frameworks from entities like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will provide a solid foundation for creating secure data-sharing ecosystems. The integration of cybersecurity best practices will foster trust among stakeholders, ensuring the safe and responsible use of personal data across industries.

Impacts

This initiative will have significant positive impacts across multiple industries by empowering individuals with control over their personal data while fostering secure, interoperable data sharing between organizations. It will enable the seamless exchange of data across sectors such as healthcare, finance, transportation, and municipal services, improving access to services, enhancing operational efficiencies, and driving innovation. By establishing robust standards for personal data stores, the initiative will democratize data access, reduce data silos, and promote data privacy and security. The use of decentralized systems will not only protect individuals' privacy but also enable responsible AI applications, improving service delivery and decision-making processes. Overall, the initiative will contribute to a more equitable, secure, and transparent digital ecosystem, benefiting both individuals and organizations worldwide.

Demonstration/Deployment

This initiative could be best demonstrated through a series of pilot projects that showcase its ability to facilitate seamless, secure, and interoperable data exchanges across diverse sectors. By partnering with organizations in healthcare, finance, transportation, and municipal services, the initiative can implement real-world use cases where personal data stores are securely accessed and shared between multiple stakeholders. These pilot projects would highlight the practical applications of the defined APIs, data ontologies, and interfaces, showcasing the benefits of data ownership, privacy, and control for individuals. Success stories from these projects, coupled with demonstrable improvements in efficiency, user experience, and data security, would serve as powerful evidence of the initiative's potential to transform industries and create a trusted, interconnected digital ecosystem.

Projects Related to this Initiative

		CheckD Data Wallet: Eat2Give
		The EAT2GIVE project in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, leverages the CheckD Data Wallet to unite food lovers, local businesses, and charities in a unique fundraising initiative. By claiming the EAT2GIVE campaign badge on their CheckD wallets, food enthusiasts can support local causes every time they purchase designated menu items at participating food merchants, who pledge RM3 per validation to charity. This innovative campaign promotes community engagement and philanthropy while maintaining user privacy, enabling merchants to boost foot traffic cost-effectively, and providing organizers with seamless validation and transparent reporting. Driven by a partnership between Dataswyft, SubangFood, and TheBFG.team, EAT2GIVE fosters a culture of doing good through commerce, connecting residents and businesses in a shared purpose to strengthen the Subang Jaya community.

		Citizen App
		Citizen App, the first of its kind, empower individuals to claim and legally own their data from across multiple sources, then use it securely and seamlessly in everyday life.

		NextGraph
		NextGraph is an innovative approach to building a truly decentralized internet, addressing critical issues like privacy, digital sovereignty, interoperability, and security. By merging peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, Semantic Web technologies (RDF, linked data), and Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs), NextGraph overcomes the limitations of centralization and federated systems. Unlike traditional web infrastructures dominated by centralized corporations or federated models with inherent data ownership challenges, NextGraph emphasizes local-first software and end-to-end encryption, ensuring data portability, user control, and privacy. The platform envisions a decentralized, efficient ecosystem where users and developers benefit from resilience, freedom, and seamless functionality without relying on central servers or monolithic databases. Its alpha release demonstrates the potential of this paradigm, and ongoing efforts focus on empowering developers with tools to build robust applications in this next-generation internet framework. NextGraph represents a significant step toward fulfilling the promise of the Semantic Web as a decentralized, privacy-first network.

		Open Network for Education and Skilling Transactions
		Beckn-based Open Network for Education and Skilling Transactions (ONEST)

		Personal Access System for Services (PASS)
		Social services are programs or services designed to support individuals and communities in need. They provide assistance with basic needs such as food, housing, and clothing, as well as health and medical care, education and job training, child care, support for individuals with disabilities or mental health conditions, and aging and elder care. These services are intended to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities and help individuals achieve self-sufficiency.

Personal Data Store