DATAMITE is an ambitious project with a consortium of 26 organisations from 11 countries, but beyond the numbers are the people. With the series “Meet the people behind DATAMITE” we want to introduce the people who work every day to achieve our ambitious goal: to deliver a modular, open-source and multi-domain Framework to improve data monetising, interoperability, trading and exchange in the form of software modules, training and business materials for European companies, empowering them to become new relevant players in the data economy.
Today we present Samarkhel-Khan Yahya from DIN – the German Institute for Standardization. He studied Computer Science and Business Engineering in the field of project management, and since 2016, he works at DIN within the team responsible for the committee “Information Technology and selected IT Applications (NIA)”. In this committee, there are several subcommittees that deal with Information Technology topics like e.g. Artificial Intelligence, IT-Security, Internet of things, Biometrics etc, he explains. “I am responsible for standards in the field of Cards and security devices for personal identification and manage national committees at DIN, but also international committees at ISO, as DIN is also a member of the European and International Standardization Organizations CEN and ISO”.
What is your role in the DATAMITE project?
In DATAMITE my role is to observe the project results and discuss standardization potential, as I am responsible for standardization in the project. If we identify standardization gaps in the project, then it is possible to develop new standards within DATAMITE.
Standardisation has different effects on the innovation process, such as promoting the transfer of knowledge and technology from research results to practice and the market, helping to disseminate and apply innovative knowledge, identifying the demand for technical standards, networking with relevant actors in the field, or strengthening and improving the overall competitiveness of the national economy.
What milestones do you expect to achieve at the project?
I expect that we can develop a CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA). A CWA is intended to satisfy market demands for a more flexible and timelier alternative to the traditional European Standard. So, basically a CWA is the ideal solution, when you have innovations and want to develop a document quickly, without the usual standardization process, which can take 3 years. A CWA can be developed in one year and does not reflect the same level of consensus like a European Standard, which is why it can be developed quicker. This CWA however can be transformed into a European Standard in the future. So, there is no need to rush things into a European Standard, when you are dealing with innovative solutions.
In your opinion, what is the positive impact that DATAMITE will generate? What is the element that makes this project special?
I think that in this digital era, data is becoming more important than ever. I hope that the DATAMITE framework will help European companies to exploit and monetize their data and monetize it. I think that otherwise lots of potential will be left off. I expect that the DATAMITE project can make that difference in the European market.
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