Cross-border Interoperability Research Articles

Considerations for trustworthy cross-border interoperability of digital identity systems in developing countries

AbstractIn developing nations, the implementation of Foundational Identity Systems (FIDS) has optimised service delivery and inclusive economic growth. Cross-border e-government will gain traction as developing countries increasingly look to identity federation and trustworthy interoperability through FIDS for the identification and authentication of identity holders. Despite this potential, the interoperability of FIDS in the African identity ecosystem has not been well-studied. Among the difficulties in this situation are the intricate internal political dynamics that have led to weak institutions, suggesting that FIDS could be used for political purposes; additionally, citizens’ or identity holders’ habitual low trust in the government raises concerns about data security and privacy protection. Similarly, vendor lock-in, cross-system compatibility, and ambiguous legislative rules for data exchange are other concerns. Interoperability is fundamentally necessary as a precondition for e-government services and serves as the foundation for the best possible service delivery in the areas of social security, education, and finance, as well as gender equality as demonstrated by the European Union (EU). Moreover, the integration of cross-border FIDS and an ecosystem of effective data governance will be created by unified data sharing via an interoperable identity system. Thus, in this study, we point to the challenges, opportunities, and requirements for cross-border interoperability in an African setting. Furthermore, we investigated current interoperability solutions such as the EU’s eIDAS and Estonian X-Road and proposed an approach for scoping requirements to achieve a fully functional interoperable identity ecosystem in the African setting. Our findings show that interoperability in the African identity ecosystem is essential for expanding the scope of e-government throughout the continent and for bolstering the smooth authentication and verification of identity holders for inclusive economic growth.

Towards cross-border CBDC interoperability: insights from a multivocal literature review

PurposeCentral banks from more than 100 countries, representing 95% of the global financial output, are studying Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). CBDCs can potentially enable safe, efficient and inexpensive cross-border and cross-currency payments in today's interconnected financial system. However, a critical factor influencing their expansion is cross-border interoperability. Therefore, there is a high demand from central banks, researchers, computer scientists, policy- and decision-makers to explore this topic further. Its better understanding will improve information management, enhance the decision-making process, and result in the redesign of central banks' processes and products (digital currencies).Design/methodology/approachThe authors investigate this novel and timely topic by conducting a Multivocal Systematic Literature Review (MSLR) on CBDCs cross-border interoperability. Additionally, the authors collect and analyze empirical data from various online resources such as CBDC trackers.FindingsThe authors conclude that although the academic literature on CBDC cross-border interoperability is very limited, valuable documents published by central banks and other entities discuss this issue and provide valuable insights. The authors paid particular attention to the reports published by the Bank of International Settlement (BIS) as it proposes three different models for CBDC cross-border interoperability. The study research reveals that most CBDC cross-border interoperability projects run by several central banks and other organizations explore these three BIS models. For this research, the authors performed an in-depth study of CBDC cross-border interoperability cases to investigate all three BIS models. The findings illustrate that although technical interoperability is feasible, plenty of work needs to be done in terms of standards and interfaces. In addition, other non-technical interoperability areas need to be explored and addressed, as there are concerns related to legal issues, regulations, jurisdictional boundaries, policy challenges and governance.Research limitations/implicationsResearch on CBDCs is progressing quickly, so, despite the authors’ use of an MSLR to identify the state-of-the-art, interested parties should be aware that new information is prone to appear imminently. Hence, this study work should be understood as a basis to build upon. Also, although the authors have included major academic databases in this study search, there is the possibility that a few papers may have been published in outlets that the authors have not covered. Finally, since the search in the grey literature returned thousands of hits, the authors had to define a stopping criterion for the documents to analyze.Practical implicationsThe authors provide insights on the current state of CBDC cross-border interoperability, which is valuable to policy- and decision-makers currently assessing the situation and deciding on avenues to pursue.Originality/valueThe authors provide an integrated and critical view of the developments of CBDC cross-border interoperability, considering not only available academic literature but also fundamental documents from key institutions such as central banks and related organizations.

Fedidchain: An Innovative Blockchain-Enabled Framework for Cross-Border Interoperability and Trust Management in Identity Federation Systems

Fedidchain: An Innovative Blockchain-Enabled Framework for Cross-Border Interoperability and Trust Management in Identity Federation Systems

An overview of Personalized Medicine landscape and policies in the European Union.

The spread of Personalized Medicine (PM) over the last decade defined a revolution in healthcare systems. PM is among the priorities of the European Commission's research agenda, which funded the IC2PerMed international project aiming to integrate China into the International Consortium of PM (ICPerMed). In the context of this project, we mapped the existing policies related to PM in the European Union (EU) and at the EU Member States (EU-MS) level. PubMed, Google Scholar, Google, Microsoft and national and international institutions' official repositories were searched in order to identify documents on PM-related policies, programmes and action plans at the EU and EU-MS level, published up to December 2020. We identified 28 policies in the EU aimed at improving public health promoting and fostering PM implementation, through some actions including the standardization of good medical practice, use of big data and digital innovation, data sharing and cross-border interoperability, healthcare sustainability, disease prevention and patients'/citizens' engagement. We identified 23 policies at EU-MS level which, notwithstanding national differences, have a common focus, such as patient-tailored treatment and targeted prevention, education of healthcare workers, research and innovation, big data harmonization and healthcare system sustainability. The definition of an integrated regulatory framework is essential to turn PM into an opportunity for citizens and patients with the involvement of all the stakeholders. This work can provide a valuable tool for decision-makers to define common approaches, priorities for research, development and increase international collaboration, which could overcome the fragmented European scenario and align the future direction on PM.

Radio communication-based method for analysis of train driving in an ERTMS signaling environment

BackgroundERTMS is an important project improving cross-border interoperability throughout Europe by a single rail signaling standard. One advantage following this development is a standardized radio signaling, which can be tracked by logging the data transfer using the ETCS protocol between Radio Block Center and train. This means that a broad spectrum of train driving can be analyzed in terms of for example driving behavior, signal planning and capacity in a new efficient way.MethodsIn this paper a radio-based protocol method to achieve this, is presented and applied for studying braking characteristics in terms of meeting point design. The aim was to design, apply and validate a radio-based train data collection method to enable cost-efficient and avoid time-consuming train data collections. To enable comparison between the results from the suggested radio-based method and traditional methods, a verification measurement was performed. Three different alternatives of speed calculation were validated. These were based on: Train Position Report speed; calculation of average speed based on reported train position; processed reported train position forming the average speed. The best alternative was then applied to examine deceleration towards different signal targets at single-track meeting points.ResultsThe results from this study suggest that the ETCS Level 2 protocol is a feasible way to collect train dynamics data. The method is time saving when it comes to train driver behavior studies where several trains and drivers are needed to get significant results. Comparison with traditional GPS method suggest that the method is valid. Most promising is the alternative using processed train position.

Cross-Border Interoperability for Cooperative, Connected, and Automated Driving

The implementation on a massive scale of safe, highly automated driving is very difficult using only information from ego vehicles, which are subject to visual horizon limitations. For automated driving systems to become a reality, it is essential to provide them with two fundamental elements, among others: connectivity and cooperative services. Both elements are still at a very early stage of development in communications technology and in the organization and generation of support information. In addition, extra difficulties are presented, such as transnational barriers to accessing services and exchanging information with other vehicles and infrastructure. This article presents the implementation of a novel architecture to support the integration of cooperative intelligent transportation systems in automated driving, including the results of cross-border interoperability tests carried out in three cooperative, connected, and automated driving (CCAD) pilots that were deployed in three cities belonging to the Trans-European Atlantic Corridor—Madrid, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; and Paris, France—under the framework of the European Regulation Study for Interoperability in the Adoption of Autonomous Driving in European Urban Nodes. These results show the performance of the CCAD architecture and have been analyzed to include a set of recommendations to ensure the successful deployment of CCAD driving at the European level.

The Orkney Slew and Central Bank Digital Currencies

This essay presents a parable recently discovered in a Yale University Library. Interpreting the parable leads to a discussion of central bank digital currencies and the process of policy formation. Many central banks around the world are cooperatively experimenting with cross-border interoperability of digital currencies. These experiments are motivated by the idea of building a global network—an infrastructure—to improve global supply chains and large value cross-border payments. While we do not suggest that such an infrastructure is necessary at this moment, we do argue that cross-border experimentation is necessary.

The state of national electronic prescription systems in the EU in 2018 with special consideration given to interoperability issues

IntroductionThe electronic prescribing system (EPS) is now widely used in the USA and largely also in EU member countries. Nevertheless, comparisons of different EPS are very scarce. Whilst the EU strives for cross-border interoperability in healthcare, the aim of this study is to provide a contemporary account of the state of national EPS in such countries. MethodsFor the sake of consistency the state of each of the EPS as of the end of 2018 was researched using an e-mail questionnaire. Respondents were chosen from among authors who have previously published studies on electronic prescriptions. ResultsData on EPS was gathered from 23 out of the 28 EU member states. In 2018 EPS was in daily use in 19 EU states, and one further country had a pilot project, whereas the remaining 3 were only at the planning stage. Most of the EPS do not differ significantly in basic design, however authentication procedures vary substantially. DiscussionThere is a significant increase in EPS usage in EU countries as compared with previous studies. Cross-border interoperability in the EU is still limited, and further advancement might be hampered by differences in authentication procedures. ConclusionAlthough it was not possible to acquire data from all the EU countries, this study shows the present state of electronic prescription in most of them and demonstrates continuous development in this area.

Proposal of Technological GIS Support as Part of Resident Parking in Large Cities–Case Study, City of Brno

Over the last few years, there has been a significant increase in people’s dependence on passenger and freight transport. As a result, traffic infrastructure is congested, especially in big city centers and, at critical times, this is to the point of traffic collapse. This has led to the need to address this situation by the progressive deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), which are used to optimize traffic, to increase traffic flow, and to improve transport safety, including reduction of adverse environmental impacts. In 2018, the first results of the C-Roads Platform which is a joint initiative of European Member States and road operators for testing and implementing C-ITS services in light of cross-border harmonization and interoperability (C-ROADS) Czech Republic project were put into operation in Brno, closely related to the international initiative to support the data structure for future communication between vehicles and intelligent transport infrastructure. A system of transport organization and safety was introduced in the city of Brno, which manages key information and ensures central management of partial systems of transport organization and safety. The most important part of this system is the parking organization system discussed in this article. The main objective was to streamline the parking system in the city center of Brno and in the immediate vicinity by preventing unauthorized long-term parking, ensuring an increased number of parking places for residents and visitors by increasing the turnover of parking. The aim of the research was to investigate (i) the possibility and optimal use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology for resident parking system solutions, (ii) the integration of Global Satellite Navigation Systems (GNSS) satellite data and image data collected by cameras on the move and (iii) the possibility of using network algorithms to optimize mobile data collection planning. The aim of our study is to design and optimize the integrated collection of image data localized by satellite GNSS technologies in the GIS environment to support the resident parking system, including an evaluation of its effectiveness. To achieve this goal, a residential parking monitoring system was designed and implemented, based on dynamic monitoring of the parking state using a vehicle equipped with a digital camera system and Global Satellite Navigation Systems (GNSS) technology for measuring the vehicle position, controlled by spatial and attribute data flow from static and dynamic spatial databases in the Geographic Information System (GIS), which integrate the whole monitoring system. The control algorithm of a vehicle passing through the street network works on the basis of graph theory with a defined recurrence interval for the same route, taking into account other parameters such as the throughput of the street network at a given time, its traffic signs and the usual level of traffic density. Statistics after one year of operation show that the proposed system significantly increased the economic yield from parking areas from the original 30% to 90%, and reduced the overall violation of parking rules to only 10%. It further increased turnover and thus the possibility of short-term parking for visitors and also ensured availability of parking for residents in the historical center of Brno and surrounding monitored areas.

Data protection issues in cross-border interoperability of Electronic Health Record systems within the European Union

AbstractThis study investigates the data protection concerns arising in the context of the cross-border interoperability of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems in the European Union. The article first introduces the policies on digital health and examines the related interoperability issues. Second, the work analyses the latest Recommendation of the European Commission on this topic. Then, the study discusses the rules and the obligations settled by the General Data Protection Regulation to be taken into account when developing interoperable EHRs. According to the data protection by design and by default provision, EHR systems should be designed ex ante to guarantee data protection rules.

Healthcare data warehouse system supporting cross-border interoperability.

The free movement of European citizens across member states of the European Union adds an important level of complexity to strategic efforts of health interoperability. The use of electronic health data has been marked as an important strategic activity and policy to improve healthcare in European countries. Cross-border healthcare depends on the ability to set up shared practices with respect to patient data exchange across the countries. Data flow must comply with demanding security, legal and interoperability requirements, as defined by the European Patients Smart Open Services project specifications. The aim of this article is to propose a novel design of healthcare data warehouse based on the restructured Extract-Transform-Load process. We describe a portal framework that offers a comprehensive set of interoperability services to enable national e-Health platforms to set up cross-border health information networks compliant with European Patients Smart Open Services. The presented approach incorporates the technical and organizational interoperability by interconnecting Health Level Seven standard and Open National Contact Points framework in order to provide a modular, scalable and inter-operating architecture.

The science of Learning Health Systems: Foundations for a new journal.

The science of Learning Health Systems: Foundations for a new journal.

SignaTM – Towards Electronic Document Cross-Border Interoperability

Abstract Transfer of information-based services to an electronic environment is the accomplished fact. Some of such services lead to creation of electronic documents that are signed by qualified e-signature and have legal value equal to hand-signed documents. In fact, the documents are created not for private use but for an exchange with the others. The main challenge of the electronic document usage is their interoperability. An electronic document is a dual technical and legal artefact that depends on a national legislation system and “lives” within a national platform of electronic documents. Therefore, an electronic document is not a subject of technical standardization only. The paper introduces a new concept for an electronic document cross-border interoperability solution based on creation of original copies for each national electronic document platform of the document signatories.

Mobile Wallets and Virtual Alternative Currencies Under the EU Legal Framework on Electronic Payments

In recent years, the number of mobile payments has risen rapidly. During that same timeframe, the methodology of mobile payments has shifted from being mere monetary transactions executed by means of an interconnected network environment – such as the Internet – toward highly diverse mobile wallet ecosystems that include different types of services aimed at improving the overall user experience and at fostering customer loyalty toward a specific ecosystem. While the basic idea underlying mobile payments still experiences certain hindrances – for instance concerning cross-border interoperability of payment transactions between the different EU Member States – the scope of new mobile wallet ecosystems raises new questions. Not merely allowing for the execution of a purchase transaction, many of these mobile wallets also include loyalty schemes, services for customer social interaction – e.g. bill splitter applications – or even virtual alternative currencies that can be used within a specific ecosystem – such as Amazon Coins. By extending the scope of their services beyond that of a simple intermediary, and especially when establishing a virtual economy based on a virtual currency, these service providers are bordering or potentially even entering the territory governed by more stringent financial regulations. This paper will analyze the extent to which enhanced mobile wallets can become subject to such regulation.

On the Use of Social Networking Services for Government Identity Management Purposes: A European Policy Analysis

The issue of identity policies for online environments continues to attract interest from academics, policy makers, and advocates. Today, the primary questions regard not only whether and how to identify or authenticate users online, but also who (i.e., which entity) should be entitled to do so. In this context, this article addresses the ongoing tension between the traditional way of managing identities (that is, through unilateral actions endorsed by governments and public administration organizations) and recent trends in the provision and authentication of identities by private parties (or through cooperative private-public partnerships). Some European Union (EU) Member States have already opted for business models in which the private sector provides electronic identities (eIDs) that may also be used to access online public services, such as Sweden’s BankID (which is e-government-enabled) and the proposed identity assurance model in the UK. The U.S. has its National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, which calls for the creation and facilitation of a “vibrant marketplace” for identity provision, with multiple accredited identity providers — both private and public — offering identity services. In the context of private sector organizations emerging as identity providers, this article focuses on the possible role of social networking services (SNS) in government identity management (IdM). The widespread diffusion of SNS provides an opportunity to use these platforms for IdM purposes. Third-party sites have already started partnering with these services to simplify and streamline their registration processes. Governments appear next to do so. This paper thus explores the potential merits and drawbacks of these developments from a European policy perspective. Among the reasons why European governments may be interested in using pre-existing SNS for IdM, we discuss the following: a) large installed base; b) critical mass of users; c) relatively mature infrastructure; d) high social acceptance of 'social' technologies; e) cost-effectiveness; f) real-name policies (which could render these identities more trustworthy and adequate for official uses); g) mutual recognition and cross-border (EU-wide) interoperability of eIDs; and h) the potential use of biometrics (particularly with the integration of facial recognition). Still, there are several drawbacks. We consider the following: a) citizen discomfort with using SNS credentials for official interactions; b) unreliable registration processes; c) reduced possibilities for anonymity and pseudonymity (and the attendant threats to freedom of speech and other political participatory values due to the emphasis on using real names); d) potential exclusionary effects for citizens unable or unwilling to use these eIDs; e) problems of neutrality (i.e., which platforms do governments endorse?); f) problems of data ownership; g) security concerns; h) the potential for SNS to track users on government sites; i) jurisdictional issues (i.e., most popular platforms are US-based); j) task complexity; and k) liability issues (assuming that one’s SNS-endorsed eID is recognized and used for e-government services across different Member States, which party is liable for misuse, theft or impersonation?). A future version of this paper will discuss the different policy options available to the EU regarding the adoption of SNS for government IdM purposes. According to the framework presented in the paper, the policy options proposed would allow for the possibility of adding (on a purely voluntary basis) private eIDs to a list of mutually recognized official identities. Private eIDs would be considered apt for government identity-related transactions as long as they respect pre-established criteria. This policy option would make it possible to use both pre-existing and new private eIDs for e-government services. The analysis of policy options takes place in light of the legislative measures currently being proposed in Europe to facilitate electronic identification and authentication, namely within the scope of the ongoing Electronic Signatures Directive revision process. The article calls attention to the need to keep the approach of mutual recognition and interoperability of eIDs open to evolution, technological progress, and new business models. The paradigm of state monopolies over the provision of identities is outdated. Additional alternatives to this model should be sought in the private sector.

The exploitation of Business Register data from a public sector information and data protection perspective: A case study

Business Registers (BRs) are a very important information resource for investors, creditors, financial institutions and public authorities. The possibility to aggregate and interconnect these data at a European level could enhance the transparency of companies towards those actors and add a great deal of value to the raw Business Register data. The European BRITE project intended to provide adequate tools to meet these demands. BRITE will provide easier access and cross-border interoperability of Business Register data throughout Europe. On the other hand, the processing of BR data within the BRs and BRITE triggers several important European legislations such as the Data Protection Directive and the Directive on the re-use of public sector information. In this paper, the processing of BR data will be analysed from the perspective of both data protection and public sector information laws, analysing as well the relation between both regulations. Do these regulations strike an optimal balance between the interests of private data vendors to re-use BR data and enhance business transparency and the need to protect the personal data of natural persons?

An Agenda For Action On Global E-Health

Use of e-health, or electronic information technologies, has spread to cities and remote villages worldwide. Countries such as Rwanda are activating nationwide e-health networks. The Rockefeller Foundation's month-long 2008 conference Making the eHealth Connection: Global Partners, Local Solutions accelerated this process. Conference participants proposed global partnerships, health technology solutions based on local needs, cross-border interoperability, leveraging current open-source networks, and shared informatics systems; they achieved progress on a shared, cross-border understanding of e-health solutions and policy. Early steps toward furthering these goals include creation of a new organization, the mHealth Alliance, to coordinate efforts, but collaborative investments are needed to usher in the promise of e-health.

Legal and organizational challenges and solutions for achieving a pan-European electronic ID solution

In this article I discuss the creation of a pan-European eID and the legal and organizational challenges connected to that in cross-border transactions within the EU/EEA. I mainly focus on issuance procedures and (the lack of) a European ''standard'' on a unique identifier of physical persons that can be used in the eID. My main solution here is to use, as far as possible, existing national and international requirements on the content of passport and how they are issued. In addition I present two issues that I think the European Commission should focus on that would have a significant positive effect on the work on achieving cross-border interoperability. These issues are (i) setting up requirements for Validation Authorities and self-declaratory schemes and (ii) setting up a quality classification system, where different national security levels can be mapped up against neutral requirements adopted by the European Commission.

Payment Network Scale Economies, SEPA, and Cash Replacement

The goal of SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) is to facilitate the emergence of a competitive, intra-European market by making cross-border payments as easy as domestic transactions. With crossborder inter-operability for electronic payments, card transactions will increasingly replace cash and checks for all types of payments. Using different methods, the authors estimate card and other payment network scale economies for Europe. These indicate substantial cost efficiency gains if processing is consolidated across borders rather than piggybacked onto existing national operations. Cost reductions likely to induce greater replacement of small value cash transactions are also illustrated.

Payment Network Scale Economies, SEPA, and Cash Replacement

The goal of SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) is to facilitate the emergence of a competitive, intra-European market by making cross-border payments as easy as domestic transactions. With cross-border inter-operability for electronic payments, card transactions will increasingly replace cash and checks for all types of payments. Using different methods, we estimate card and other payment network scale economies for Europe. These indicate substantial cost efficiency gains if processing is consolidated across borders rather than "piggy-backed" onto existing national operations. Cost reductions likely to induce greater replacement of small value cash transactions are also illustrated.