Date: 13th August 2024 10:00-11:30 BST

Location: online

Summary:

• It was noted that external stakeholder engagement can be encouraged by sharing work across professional networks and forming stakeholder engagement groups. Lessons learnt from citizen science projects and Stream’s journey so far will also be valuable.
• It was noted that the Use Case Workshop with Stream Water Co members explored the value and feasibility of potential use cases, producing a top three. Members were requested to discuss the prioritised shared use cases:
  • EIR requests
    • There are other organisations that this use case could relate to.
    • This data can start as shared and further steps can be taken to make it more open.
  • Energy resilience
    • There is a risk that there has not been enough engagement with stakeholders for this use case, but it could be a future opportunity.
• For the Open Use Case, Cleaning up the UK’s rivers and seas, external stakeholders (e.g. researchers, citizen scientists, innovators) have been interested in supporting the use case. This use case also aligns with the new government’s priorities and Stream’s objectives. It was discussed that:
  • River data will encompass lots of data types e.g. sources of data, lab samples, water quality samples.
  • Legal action taking place against some water companies may inhibit this data being shared.
  • Other projects may be able to use the data e.g. River Deep Mountain AI
• A vote took place asking members for endorsement on taking forward the prioritised use cases. Quorum is yet to be reached and results will be confirmed on Tuesday 20th August 2024.
• It was noted that governance discussions took place during the Hack Day. A working group will be focused on discussing and working through challenges in this area.

The next meeting will take place on 24th September 2024.

Co-chairs:

Elysia Moore, Stream Product Owner

Charlotte Hillenbrand, IB1

Secretariat support:

Icebreaker One

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat, and are confidential to the Steering Group members.

Co-chaired by Icebreaker One and NWL, the group’s primary function is to help provide leadership and market signalling. Oversight of, and endorsement from, this group will establish a lasting set of robust governance measures to ensure data is shared safely and with the correct regulations.

Date: 25th July 2024 10:00-12:00 BST

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Melissa Tallack (NWL); Gavin Starks (IB1)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting aims:

1. Foster a greater feeling of accountability and commitment to delivering value
2. Discuss governance evolution ideas
3. SG members to understand what actions to take 
4. AG co-chairs to update on activities

Summary:

• It was noted that:
  • Water companies are starting to look beyond regulation and proactively look for organisational benefits from the publication of data.
  • There was a positive sentiment towards all three of the questions asked in the polls:
    • Are you happy to support a bid to Ofwat’s Water Breakthrough Challenge for contribution to core operating costs for the three years beyond July 2025?
    • Are you happy to pursue these recommended funding options?
    • Are you happy to support this model of working, with an allocated member ‘champion’ or ‘sponsor’, on a rotational basis that can ‘own’ a pillar and co-chair the corresponding group, moving forward?
  • The value framework has been updated and will be tested with forthcoming use cases.
  • AG2 has accepted the following changes:
    • Gemini 2.3 has been added as a metadata standard, based on INSPIRE
    • The addition of schema for the use cases that are already published
  • AG1 and AG2 are working to sync with one another in terms of communication.
  • Use case selection is a challenging process and it might be worth bringing in Innovation Managers into this process.
  • For AG2 members, there’s a lot to do to make sure the Data Triage process has sunk in.
    • In addition, they need clear terminology alongside defined roles and responsibilities to ensure that the right people are in the meeting to answer key questions.
  • A vote took place on the following issues. Quorum is yet to be reached with the deadline extended to Thursday 8th August:
    • Open Active
    • Vulnerable Customers
    • 1 Year Objectives
    • OKRs
• It was agreed that:
  • A deep dive will take place on data documentation and metadata, bringing in the lessons learned from APRs whilst updating new members on current processes and previous decisions taken.
  • Water company members will share the Community and Engagement Manager role within their communications and marketing teams to determine if they can take on the secondment.
• It was discussed that:
  • The Stream platform should have a space that encourages early conversations to help signpost potential users and innovation managers to the right opportunities within Stream.
  • Stream is proposing to keep water company contributions at a similar level to what they are now.
  • The operating pillars are a great way to drive forward a sustainable future for Stream. The aim is to update the current governance structure in line with these pillars, introducing rotating chairs every 12 weeks from the water companies to increase ownership of Stream. 

Voting outcomes:

• Approval of AG1 Priority use cases
• Approval of one-year objectives
• Approval of OKR revision/update
  • Option A – 5 votes
  • Option B – 5 votes

The next meeting will take place on 3rd September 2024.

Formal records are maintained by the secretariat. These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

The meeting aimed to provide members with an update on the progress of the programme as well as its finance and governance processes.

Meeting Aims

1. Clear understanding on scope, progress, plan (programme, finance, governance)

2. Endorsement of the direction of travel
3. Commitment to support on funding conversations

Summary minutes

Date: 24th July 2024 15:00-17:00 BST
Location: online
Present: CDP, FSB, ICAEW, Innovate Finance, IoD, LSTDB, Open Banking, Startup Coalition, UK Finance
Apologies: British Chambers of Commerce, Cabinet Office, CBI, EAMA, IIGCC, Scale Up Institute, TheCity UK, UNEPFI, World Energy Council
Observers: ACCA, DESNZ, PCAF

Principal: Heather Buchanan, B4NZ
Co-Chairs: Tony Greenham (BBB); Gavin Starks (IB1)
Secretariat: IB1

Summary

1. The Delivery Oversight Committee (DOC) noted that:
   • This function is in place to demonstrate to markets and funders Perseus is operating effectively, governance is in place around the whole project, and how Perseus’ decisions are made against objectives.
   • From the DOC point of view, Perseus is in good shape. For example, it has a risk register that moves and adapts, indicating it is doing the right things in the right manner.
     
2. An overview of the risk register and changes to risks was noted, including:
   • Reduced risks stemming from political uncertainty following the general election
   • High risk of not hitting full funding but is manageable: planned re-scoping to mitigate this has taken place and is reviewed regularly.
   • Increased risk in formal alignment due to low advisory group attendance. Efforts are being re-doubled to ensure attendance and to make voting/endorsement easier so they are quorate.

3. On political engagement, it was noted that:
   • The new government has a material focus on cross-party and cross-government engagement to enact change. They are working very hard to break down silo-driven decisions and work.
   • We have seen promising ambition and rapid progress in sustainability efforts by the new government
   • We have observed significant ambition in terms of SMEs as part of Net Zero and a focus on private investment. Perseus supports both of these goals
   • B4NZ have been intensively building relationships with incoming politicians with sustainability experience and cementing existing ones
   • The announcement of the National Wealth Fund may have an impact on Perseus, and may affect the role of the British Business Bank.
   • The King’s Speech announced the creation of the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority (ARGA) to replace the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) as the regulator for the audit and accounting sector. The ICAEW are pushing for standards to be made a priority for the ARGA.
   • The King’s Speech also announced the Digital Information and Smart Data (DISD), which has a material positive impact on Perseus as one of the few cross-sector smart data programmes in the UK. 

4. Internal research was presented by Elise Katilov (British Business Bank), titled ‘Estimating financed emissions for UK SMEs, PCAF Working Group report on sector-based emissions factors’:
   • Due to the availability of corporate emissions data being overwhelmingly from large global corporates, they are a poor representation of SME emissions which are systematically overestimated (the paper explains why that is the case)
   • SME-focused financial institutions should still consider using PCAF5 in any case with an appropriate disclaimer as this provides an opportunity to discuss, in general terms, the carbon exposures in their portfolio at a sector or sub-sector level, and to explain the data challenges. (BBB have taken this approach although other SME lenders have decided not to use PCAF5)
   • Perseus will ultimately make such estimates unnecessary. It is important that SME stakeholder groups (including, potentially, DESNZ and ONS) collaborate with PCAF to develop better sector-based SME estimates.

5. The Advisory Group (AG) co-chairs noted that:
   • AG1 (Market & User Needs) continued to hone in on the pilot use case, and has been working to identify and prioritise future use cases
   • AG2 (Technical Requirements) has built prototype services for the pilot and finalised core data format specifications
   • AG3/AG5 (Legal & Policy) has drafted a dispute resolution procedure and grant of permission, as well as a Data Protection Impact Assessment for the pilot
   • AG4 (Communications & Engagement) has prepared an announcement of new members, highlighted a profile of Perseus in The Times, and created a roadmap of comms opportunities for the rest of 2024

Next meeting: Q4 2024 (exact date TBC to align with COP) 

Formal records are maintained by the secretariat. These are confidential to the Steering Group Members.

Date: 17th July 2024 10:00-11:30 BST

Location: online

Co-Chairs:

• Frank Wales, IB1
• Ross Doherty, Normative (apologies)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting aims:

1. Formal sign off of key milestones
2. Updates on directory service and prototyping and documentation plan
3. Identify new lead for WG2 – Platform and Systems
4. Clarify remit of working groups for the next quarter

Summary:

It was noted that:

• AG2-WG2: Platforms & Systems gave the following update:
  • Work is focused on the requirements for the Directory Service and specifically how companies will be able to register for an account
  • The group is seeking existing open banking Directory Service providers and for members to share RFI/RFP questionnaires.
• AG2-WG1: Data Standards gave the following update:
  • Work on permission and emission specifications is detailed in the WG’s outputs doc.
    • The group is considering how to evidence permissions, and it was agreed that this would include separate timestamps for permissions revoked and expired fields.
  • Defined by AG1, the bank’s requirement will be to receive emissions data at monthly resolution, annually.
    • It was agreed that data will be provided only for whole months up to the end of “last month” to prevent smaller increments allowing finer-resolution data to be retrieved
    • Consumption information is currently not planned to be included for banks. AG2 is awaiting confirmation from AG1 whether consumption information is a requirement for banks’ ESG reporting before adding it
• The user journey and authentication flow was presented to members.
• Voting will now take place via Google forms. Members will be able to vote in the lead up to the meeting, during and seven days following the meeting.
• An update on the directory service and prototyping was presented with a platform demo.
  • Next steps: documentation on user authentication and consent; continue work on directory prototype
    • 1. User accounts to manage organisations
    • 2. Certificate issuance
    • 3. Directory listing endpoints
• Q3 deliverables include:
  • Smart Meter energy data provider integration
  • BMS energy data provider integration
  • Bank integration
  • Provenance definition
  • Directory platform instantiation
  • Registry platform instantiation
  • Technical/developer documentation
  • Monitoring systems defined and running
• Working Group 2 (Platforms and Systems) and Working Group 3 (Tech and Dev Documentation) are seeking leads.

Voting outcomes:

• Approval of the data specifications for electricity consumption; tariff; and emissions data
• Approval of use of openly-published ESO regional intensity data
• Approval of permission mechanism and representation

Next meeting: October 16th 2024

Formal records are maintained by the secretariat. These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

1. Validate ‘What is the size of the prize’ underlying capital of banks influence 
2. Hear from banks £ saving from automation
3. Update on WG progress and define Q3 remit

Date: 16th July 2024 10:30-12:00 BST

Location: online

Summary

• It was noted that:
  • AG1’s action log was reviewed:
    • Members are requested to share their business value propositions.
    • Members are requested to connect internal departments may also need to be informed or engaged with other AGs.
    • Members are requested to let us know what form of ‘endorsement’ can be achieved within your remit. Note that the Perseus governance structure already includes UK Finance, IoD and ICAEW in a formal oversight role.
  • The pilot user journey was presented, outlining the process from an SME perspective.
  • Working Group updates include:
    • WG1: Use Cases for Pilot is still to kick off.
    • WG2: User Needs is focusing on identifying needs, challenges and opportunities for users around lending and benchmarking.
    • WG3: Assurance is defining assurance in:
      • Electricity generation data
      • Smart meter reading data
      • SME GHG emissions calculations data
    • WG4: Ecosystem Map has been kicked off with initial discussions focusing on how to establish a framework and roles.
    • WG5: Future Use Cases is exploring broader framing around unlocking finance for the green transition. Potential future use cases were discussed including: gas, family offices, public sector procurement, CRAs, and infrastructure.
• The Perseus value case for members was discussed:
  • Carbon Accounting Providers (CAP): compliance reporting, improving accuracy of reporting, developing carbon emission/reduction models.
  • Banks: able to deploy finance and help customers to decarbonise by providing 1) benchmarked assurance and 2) tangible impact to facilitate finance flows.
  • SMEs gain access to finance at lower costs, the ability to share their carbon accounting footprint in a frictionless way, and access to corporate supply chain and OpEx savings.
• It was noted that members were asked to feed back on the impact that Perseus could have on their respective total addressable markets.

The next meeting will take place on October 21st 2024.

Co-chairs:

Duncan Oswald, Sage

Gavin Starks, Icebreaker One

Secretariat support:

Icebreaker One

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat, and are confidential to the Advisory Group members.

Date: 15th July 2024 10:00-11:30 BST

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Zarina Banu (Tide); Laura Townshend (IB1)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting aims:

1. Agree H2 comms goals 
2. Approve risk register
3. Review key comms opportunities for rest of 2024

Summary:

• Upcoming project milestones and communications opportunities were discussed:
  • New members announcement
  • Prototype launch
  • Pilot launch
• It was agreed that:
  • We will communicate around three upcoming milestones in the second half of the year outlined above
  • AG members were broadly happy with the H2 2024 comms goals with an strengthening on the language around value proposition and customer segmentation
• It was discussed that:
  • Value of messaging for individual segments, including more focus on value proposition and when / how to engage them in Perseus
  • Having materials and messaging ready in time with other key political events/actions in August / September and launch would be more impactful
  • Some of the risks raised by WG2 are wider project risks, and warrants being raised to the programme group to ensure escalated appropriately 
• It was noted that:
  • Perseus product progress & timeline and Pilot user journey preliminary mapping (with parameters) were presented
  • AG3 (Legal & Policy) members are reviewing a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), and Dispute and Complaints Resolution Procedure 
• It was noted that updates on AG4’s working groups (WGs) were presented:
  • AG4-WG1 Identifying opportunities to communicate momentum
    • Held a discussion where Perseus needs to strengthen brand identity, firmed up three coming milestones 
  • AG4-WG2 Mapping and monitoring communications risks
    • Discussed and added to the risk register 
  • AG4-WG3 Government and regulator relationships
    • Working with stakeholders on communication and aligned policy. Their key focus is developing a stakeholder map of key relationships across the policy ecosystem, in the Labour government and other key players that have influence on policy. 

Next meeting: 22nd October 2024

Formal records are maintained by the secretariat. These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

Date: 11th July 2024 10:00-11:30 BST

Location: online

Co-Chairs: Chris Martin (Pinsent Masons); Adam Jackson (Innovate Finance)

Secretariat: IB1

Meeting aims:

1. To discuss key works in progress including DPIA for pilot, permissioning and consent and governance change recommendations.
2. To vote on the proposed Dispute resolution procedure and proposal to not use an external consent manager for the pilot.

Summary:

• It was noted that a draft DPIA for pilot was presented for feedback.
  • Scenarios where sole trader information is classified as personal data will be identified.
• It was noted that a first draft of the consumer facing aspects for the grant of permission/consent was presented for feedback.
  • Permission is used rather than consent as Perseus deals with personal and non-personal data.
  • The first draft currently includes potential customer facing wording covering either single or dual consent structures – the structure will be finalised pending legal advice.
  • AG1 has established the data needs of banks/finance providers to comprise the following derived data:
    • An estimate of current emissions
    • An estimate of projected emissions following any proposed intervention(s) that could be financed
    • A periodic update to corroborate projected emissions savings
  • It was discussed that:
    • Banks may need energy consumption data to offer green loans as carbon data doesn’t not completely cover legal requirements.
    • The user journey and UX implications were considered.
• It was noted that the pilot user journey was presented.
• It was agreed that a working group would be formed to discuss ‘regulatory/governance and legislative change’.
• It was noted that members were asked to vote on:
  • The draft dispute resolution procedure
  • The proposal to use/not use an external consent manager for Pilot
• It was noted that an update on AG4’s stakeholder map was shared including the strategy to align on core asks and policy requests.

Next meeting: 17th October 2024

Formal records are maintained by the secretariat. These are confidential to the Advisory Group Members.

June’s AG meeting aimed to:

1. Brief recap on current Use Cases and the process to get there
2. Discussion on prioritised use cases unlock value for your customers
3. Breakout groups for discussions on the value framework 

Date: 27th June 2024 10:00-11:30 BST

Location: online

Summary:

• It was noted that the use case prioritisation process was re-capped, establishing Open Active and Vulnerable Customers as the two prioritised use cases for Stream.
• It was noted that a vote was posed to members to confirm progression of the Open Active use case. To achieve quorum, the outcome of this vote will be confirmed once members have voted offline via survey.
• It was agreed that each Advisory Group member will have one vote.
• It was noted that despite the Vulnerable Customers use cases ranking highly on the value framework, Support for All has since communicated it is not looking to partner at the moment. Therefore, members were asked to vote on whether the Vulnerable Customers use case should be paused. To achieve quorum, the outcome of this vote will be confirmed once members have voted offline via survey.
• It was discussed that connecting with Innovation Managers could enable Stream to become more embedded into data-related innovation projects.
• It was noted that members reflected on the Value Framework, with ideas captured on the Miro board.
  • Key questions included:
    • Does this reflect on what we should be valuing?
    • Would you be happy for this to act as a guide for future use cases?
    • How do we actively operationalise this?
    • How can we more accurately score against these items?
  • Group 1 discussion:
    • Key discussion points focussed on economic value; the difference between internal and external audiences; and weighting the different elements of the framework.
    • Articulating how open data culture growth fits within the value framework could be clearer.
    • To differentiate scoring, introducing a “very high” criteria may aid in accelerating the prioritisation of high value use cases.
  • Group 2 discussion:
    • Weighting should be flexible to adapt with Stream’s objectives and the Steering Group’s guidance.
    • It would be valuable to understand triage risks (ethics, reputation) earlier in the process, before delving deeper into value.
    • Delivering data before it becomes a requirement, should be a priority.

The next meeting will take place on 19th August 2024.

Co-chairs:

Elysia Moore, Anglian Water

Charlotte Hillenbrand, IB1

Secretariat support:

Icebreaker One

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat, and are confidential to the Steering Group members.

Since the Day 1 Launch of the Stream platform in April 2024, Advisory Group 2 will assist in the technical requirements of publishing subsequent datasets on the platform.

June’s AG meeting aimed to:

1. Recap of the Data Triage document
2. Upcoming timeline for data sharing agreements
3. Water companies to share success and challenges of data publishing process

Date: 24th June 2024 10:30-12:00 BST

Location: online

Summary

• It was noted that an update from Advisory Group 1 (User Needs) presented the roadmap for publishing the next set of datasets.
  • Prioritised use cases include:
    • Water company boundaries
    • Open active
    • Vulnerable customers
  • Workshops will be taking place in July to introduce the prioritised use cases.
• It was noted that an update on data sharing agreements outlined:
  • “Shared Data” is data with a preemptive licence [many-to-many]. 
  • A “Shared Data licence” is a “preemptive licence” for sharing data.
  • WSTF:
    • will provide identity management and specify assurance rules
    • contains agreed open standards
    • specifies roles requiring named individuals 
  • Stream Scheme:
    • contains agreed shared data licences 
    • will have additional governance as agreed
    • may define additional roles
  • Stream Scheme cannot go live/launch until WSTF is agreed
  • It was discussed that:
    • Updates on the legal documentation will be shared once it has been approved by the Steering Group
• It was noted that Data Triage Guidance was presented. The document outlines a minimum standard checklist for data triage including identifying datasets; data roles; documentation; risks and mitigation; publication; user engagement; and review.
• It was noted that water company representatives shared their experience of the publishing process:
  • Ensuring adequate resourcing e.g. a dedicated open data lead allows companies to progress publication
  • Companies with a dedicated lead were able to resolve issues efficiently
  • Establishing a process for data publication helped to set up success for future publication of datasets
• It was noted that roles and expertise needed within a Trust Framework include:
  • Trust Framework Licence Controller
  • Trust Framework Data Controller
  • It was discussed that the term ‘controller’ could be misinterpreted and will be reconsidered by IB1

The next meeting will take place on August 19th 2024.

Co-chairs:

Justin Doran, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water

Lucy Chambers, Icebreaker One

Secretariat support:

Icebreaker One

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat, and are confidential to the Steering Group members.

Co-chaired by Icebreaker One and NWL, the group’s primary function is to help provide leadership and market signalling. Oversight of, and endorsement from, this group will establish a lasting set of robust governance measures to ensure data is shared safely and with the correct regulations.

Meeting Summary:

• It was noted that the water companies had felt the following benefits:
  • Stream has helped to simplify the process of data requests during tendering, which would usually be a manual process, saving days of work
  • For many companies, resource constraints might have hindered their ability to set up an open data platform on their own. Stream has helped to avoid duplicative efforts and costs whilst collaboratively managing legal complexities and developing schemas.
  • Open Data has become accepted as a more mainstream concept, fostering cultural change within some water companies and their boards, allowing for increasing collaboration between teams.
  • Indirectly, there was an appreciation for the sector-wide alignment on data standards and the collective effort in data publication
• It was also noted that:
  • Water companies are in the early stages of realising the benefits of Stream but they expect these benefits to scale significantly as more datasets are published and use cases developed.
  • Stream’s ambition should include more use case datasets being published, wider uptake on use cases, and new, innovative use cases being discussed.
• It was agreed that:
  • Each paying company in Stream will receive one vote.
• It was discussed that:
  • It would be useful for members to see what datasets are being viewed and downloaded from the platform as well as how often.
  • This year, Stream needs to answer the key question of “Where is the value?” Stream needs to deliver benefits to the three core areas: customers, society and the environment but in terms of use cases, Stream needs to explore which use cases are easy and hard and what the right mix of use cases to tackle each year might be.
  • The OKR drafts and their respective format need to be shared with the members for sign-off, along with the use case roadmap.
  • There are multiple funding opportunities for Stream that the members need to explore, deciding which avenue is right for the Future Business Model

Key Resources:

• WSTF: https://ib1.org/tf/wstf/ 

The next meeting will take place on 25th July 2024.

Since the Day 1 Launch of the Stream platform in April 2024, Advisory Group 2 will assist in the technical requirements of publishing subsequent datasets on the platform.

May’s AG meeting aimed to:

1. Understand how water companies want to use this AG, the challenges with the publication process and the improvements that can be made
2. Update on data standards and Trust Framework

Key Insights

• It was noted that:
  • The next priority for Stream will be considering the next step of use cases.
  • AG1 reviewed the use case backlog and prioritised use cases based on three beneficiary categories – society, customers, and the environment. These categories will be further refined to ensure continual engagement with the community of data users.
  • The business as usual (BAU) team will now refine the use cases and share questions with the AGs on the w/c 27th May.
  • The roadmap will be circulated with AG1 (Market & User Needs) and AG2 (Technical).
  • It was discussed that in order to articulate the benefit of use cases, engagement with ecosystem maps and broader stakeholders is important.
    • At this stage, there has been no discussion about success criteria, but anyone is welcome to share any learnings or advice that they might have
• It was noted that the group considered the following questions:

1. What do water companies want to have a say in?
2. What can this AG do for you?
3. Is there anything that would support you to engage with the technical process to accelerate the progress of Stream?

• It was discussed that:
  • Water companies are keen to receive advice on best practices.
  • There could be an opportunity to engage with broader stakeholders from a technical standpoint, to address systemic challenges.
  • A lot of blockers come from internal people/processes, rather than the platform. Work is being done with Liz & Tina (Comms) to aid this.

• It was noted that the Data Standards team have recommended the following changes for acceptance by the Advisory Group:
  • Addition of GEMINI 2.3 as the metadata standard, based upon INSPIRE
  • Updating the main page (README.md) to clarify that these are a work in progress, but are also the current accepted version of the data standards for Stream
  • The addition of a schema section for Stream data
  • The addition of schema for the use cases that are already published
  • It was agreed that the changes were accepted by the AG and will be taken to the SG for review.
• It was noted that the Trust Framework Process Updates included:
  • Members can sign up to become members of the WSTF.
  • Assurance includes verification of both data and organisations, helping to improve quality of published data and to increase transparency.

The next meeting will take place on June 27th 2024.

Since the Day 1 Launch of the Stream platform in April 2024, Advisory Group 1 will assist in the publishing of subsequent datasets on the platform.

May’s AG meeting aimed to:

1. Recap on the state of play of Stream and feedback on the AG survey
2. Update on the Trust Framework
3. Facilitate breakout groups for discussions on use cases and prioritisation

Meeting Summary:

• It was noted that:
  • AG survey feedback has been reviewed, with upcoming meetings taking a more active, strategic angle including input from users and external perspectives. 
  • The next steps for AG1 will be reviewing the use case backlog and identifying priority challenges or opportunities.
• An update on the Water Sector Trust Framework (WSTF) was presented, it was noted that:
  • The WSTF allows for the publication of assured open data. Offering assurance verification will allow organisations to increase the quality of open data.
  • Workshops will be run to offer insight and resources on the sign up process.
  • Members can sign up to the WSTF here.
• It was noted that the use case backlog was reviewed and prioritised by members who examined the value for customers, society and the environment.
• The ‘Customer’ group identified the end user as their focus and prioritised:
  • Leisure Site Data – as customers would be interested in how land can be used and this dataset was largely available from water companies.
  • Reducing Water Consumption – to support customers with data and information.
  • Support for Vulnerable Customers – offering both open and shared datasets.
• The ‘Society’ group prioritised:
  • Support for Vulnerable Customers – offering value to society but also demonstrating Stream’s capabilities.
  • Improve Leak Detection – which would also contribute to reducing water consumption.
  • Citizen Science – focusing on utilising data for good, based on the CasSTCo initiative.
• The ‘Environment’ group prioritised:
  • Energy Resilience – being proactive in supporting people who want to use datasets.
  • Catchment – important within the current media landscape and commitments made by water companies.
  • Improve Leak Detection – likely to become increasingly important.
• It was discussed that the use case prioritisation would primarily focus on value, with questions around open vs shared data being addressed once value had been defined.
• It was noted that the use cases will be built out in a standardised way that links back to value.

The next meeting will take place on June 27th 2024.

This meeting aimed to give members a clear sense of what is coming next for Perseus and the project’s priorities for 2024. In addition, the meeting aimed to provide an update on AG4’s working groups’ progress and brainstorm communications activity around key project milestones.

Meeting Summary:

• It was noted that Perseus’ communications goals include:
  • H1: Identify and mitigate reputational risks
  • H1: Highlight the value of being involved now.
  • H1&2: Communicate the Perseus use case and our key messages
  • H2: Work with other AGs to align external messaging
  • H2: Promote a successful Pilot launch to industry stakeholders and SMEs
  • 2025: Call to action for SMEs to get involved/use a product

• It was noted that updates on AG4’s working groups (WGs) were presented:
  • AG4-WG1 – Identifying opportunities to communicate momentum
    • The group has focused on audience types and how to reach them, with a particular focus on communication between Perseus, IB1 and the members.
    • The identity of Perseus was discussed and its long-term ecosystem e.g. website, social media.
  • AG4-WG2 – Mapping and monitoring communications risks.
    • This group will be focusing on the communications risk register and 4 key risks: Misalignment leads to confusion and disengagement; Negative reception in market; Negative reception in media; No budget to attend COP.
  • AG4-WG3 – Government and regulator relationships
    • Comprising AG and SG members, this group will be kicking off in early May.
    • The group identify goals for government, regulator and governance bodies engagement, and provide updates about progress and obstacles.
• Upcoming project milestones and communications opportunities were discussed:

1. Fresh value cases
   • More detail and updates on who will benefit from Perseus and how.
   • Clear definition of the value case for banks, SMEs and energy providers is key.
2. Regulation analysis
   • An agenda for government to enable Perseus and help reward SMEs for lowering emissions.
3. Announcements about more banks joining
   • New members of Perseus to announce and show momentum.
4. Updates on the prototype – showing that Sage and Demand Logic systems can connect to Perseus and exchange data securely
   • Key milestones can be communicated in relation to % progress to goals.

• It was discussed that monthly AG summaries email would be useful for members to be updated on project progress and milestones.

The next meeting will take place on July 15th 2024.

Meeting Summary:

• A walkthrough of the go-live criteria was presented covering operating model; use cases & data procurement; technical platform; data standards; communications.
• Operating Model
  • The checklist for the platform to be operational has been defined and documented in the OM playbook, built in collaboration with IB1, Esri and the Product Owner.
  • The BAU team has been onboarded.
  • All roles and responsibilities for data publishers have been defined, documented and communicated.
• Use Cases & Data Procurement
  • The documentation for each of the Day 1 datasets has been prepared and approved.
  • Narratives on value have been captured and will be uploaded as Story Maps.
  • Amber: The number of datasets being published for Day 1 launch.
    • Four companies are in a position to share data for UC9 and UC21.
    • Two companies are in a position to share data for UC18.
• It was discussed that:
  • Despite two water companies being able to publish UC18, there is value in meeting the minimum criteria of three datasets and publishing as a collective.
  • The clash in timing of the go-live date and the publication of storm overflow maps presents the potential for negative communications impacts. This could be mitigated by the addition of a note to create a clear distinction between the activities. 
  • The limited availability of programme resourcing after Day 1 must be a consideration in decisions around delaying the publication of the datasets.
• Technical Platform
  • UAT has been completed and the documents are available to view.
  • The security assessment has been conducted and is complete.
  • The playbook for training data publishers is available on SharePoint and the Stream platform.
  • Admin roles are on track to be completed.
  • The team is experiencing a few issues with the domain provider and is planning to transition to an alternative provider which works with the Esri platform.
  • Elysia Moore, Product Owner, has functionally accepted the platform.
• The data standards are publicly available on Github.
• A revised communications approach has been proposed with agreement from other members and their communications parties. This approach will entail a soft launch of the platform through conversational pieces on Linkedin, explaining the transition from MVP to the Esri platform.
• It was agreed that anyone can publish their data as and when it is ready, however, Stream will only go live with the communications regarding the datasets for each use case, once the criteria of three datasets is achieved.

The next meeting will take place on May 16th 2024.

Meeting Summary

• It was noted that priorities for the newly formed Advisory Group 3 Legal & Policy include:
  • Examining the legal, policy and regulatory issues related to Perseus and understanding how they intersect with the other Advisory Groups e.g. technical build.
  • Identifying and delivering elements which will be essential for the prototype and pilot.
• It was noted that an update on AG2’s work was presented:
  • AG2 has been building the prototype, based on Open Banking’s FAPI model, which was delivered two months ago with Sage and Demand Logic.
  • Data standards are being drafted, with definitions for half hourly energy and tariff data.
  • The Assurance working group has decided to proceed with regional carbon intensity factors from ESO.
• AG2 (Technical) is commencing work in permissions definition and management and has posed questions to AG3 for discussion:
  • Can we trust data providers to manage permission from the SME or do we need a role for “Consent Manager” in the TF?
    • It would be expected that the data provider would have the appropriate mechanisms to extend permissions and take responsibility for this.
    • The nature of the data will inform what permission is required.
    • With the incoming data bill, consent management will be built to a standard that’s compatible with GDPR.
  • Do we need to independently assure/audit permission management?
    • If data providers are owning the permissions, it would be necessary to audit.
  • Do building managers need to have a technical role in the Trust Framework? Or is it enough for the SME to set up the reporting and assert it’s theirs?
    • This question will be taken to AG1 to confirm the data source.
• It was noted that the draft dispute resolution procedure has been designed to resolve disputes between Perseus members and also complaints between members and IB1.
  • The model has been developed based on asynchronous review and will continue to be refined by the Dispute Resolution working group, for review.
• It was noted that AG3 members and colleagues are invited to sign up to Working Groups in:
  • WG1 – Dispute resolution
  • WG2 – Data licensing
  • WG3 – Carbon accounting auditing and data requirements
• It was noted that upcoming priorities are:
  • 1) Organise a vote on the direction for consent management 
  • 2) Encourage the audit working group to provide proposals for a decision on how we handle it for the pilot at the next AG.
  • 3) For the next two AGs, Emily will progress the licensing model so it can be proposed at the July AG.
  • 4) The dispute resolution procedure will continue to be refined by Chris and the working group.

The next meeting will take place on July 11th 2024.

• Update on working groups and next steps
• Sign off on data formats
• Update on prototyping and agreement on next steps
• Identification of dependencies with other AG work

Meeting Summary

• It was discussed that early project phases (e.g. prototype, sandbox, MVP) are about proving value to stakeholders and then validating the value proposition.
  • Establishing a proportionate amount of testing dictates a project’s readiness for production.
  • Quick feedback processes enable teams to make considered choices when descoping.
  • Minimising manual steps during validation enables easier scaling.
• It was noted that WG1 gave an update on its progress:
  • It has been agreed by AG1 that there is no need for tariff design information except for whether the tariff is labelled as a “green tariff”. AG1 just require data describing spending on standing charges and consumption charges.
  • The data standards document was presented and discussed, including the half-hourly period for which readings count. AG2 noted that the current state is sufficient to enable prototyping work to progress.
• It was noted that WG2 will be working on ​​security, reliability, efficiency, operational excellence, costs and sustainability. The group presented questions on the workflow (see meeting notes) for consideration by AG1 and AG2 which will be explored further.
• A prototyping update was presented:
  • The current version of the prototype is on Ory, an open-source platform recommended by the team behind Open Bank Project that has a free hosted Developer edition. 
  • The team has implemented pushed authorisation requests, an extra step in FAPI to mitigate against attacks.
  • On the token, some additions were made to be FAPI compliant e.g. client certificate.
• It was noted that the cross-AG questions and responses were reviewed:
  • The data that accounting apps need can be found in the 2023 report.
  • AG3 are discussing whether data providers can be trusted to store consent or whether a “Consent Manager” is required, and this may not be determined until Q3.
  • In terms of energy carbon intensity data providers being part of Perseus, AG1 is only considering NG/ESO’s regional intensity API for now.
  • AG1 confirmed that smart meter data should include exports to the grid (at least in kWh, if not £). Reactive power is considered in the response on tariff data, but we need to establish whether reactive power or power factor is measured by commercial smart meters.
• It was noted that AG1’s Assurance working group is exploring data transfer points. The assurance will concentrate on the protection of permissions and purposes.

The next meeting will take place on July 17th 2024.

1. Open discussion about what products might come out of Perseus
2. Update AG members on progress made, and framing of what Perseus is doing and where we are going (demonstrator)
3. Working groups to all be kicked off with lead
   1. Updates from the working group lead 
4. Use case –  call for more and reviewing the documented ones we’ve got so far

Meeting Summary

• It was noted that:
  • New members are joining from the banking sector, carbon reporting solutions and related commercial actors.
  • A proposal for support of Perseus is under review by the Government.
• It was discussed that member outcomes of Perseus include:
  • Elevating emissions reporting and accounting with higher granularity.
  • Trust, transparency and improving understanding of data sources.
  • Simplicity, standardisation and automation to make reporting easy.
  • SMEs will be able to differentiate their propositions in tendering to corporates.
• It was noted that updates on AG1’s working groups (WGs) were presented:
  • AG1 has four WGs in user needs; assurance; ecosystem map; and future use cases.
  • The Assurance group has begun to explore questions on existing technical standards and demonstrate the value of Perseus. The next steps are to map the process and information flows, identify validation of data integrity and define assurance processes.
  • The user needs group will kick off by exploring the bank’s requirements, including what specific insights they need to unlock financing and reduce associated risks.
    • It was discussed that national vs regional carbon intensity will have different effects on SME credit scores and this should be considered on the roadmap.
• Open questions from AG2 were discussed:
  • How will SME permissions work? 
  • How permission will pass through from SME → Accounting → Bank? It was discussed that:
    • Banks would like access to energy data, especially in the instance of using decarbonising tools. There are open questions about the granularity required by the application vendors vs the banks and lenders.
    • SME emissions and consumption data are separate datasets.
    • Data minimisation principles must be followed, and linked to specific outcomes. For example, if banks and lenders only require the carbon intensity information, not the raw consumption data, this must not be shared (without additional consent). 
  • The group needs to clarify what tariff information is required.
  • These questions will also need to be addressed by AG3/AG5.

The next meeting will take place on July 16th 2024.

Date: 1st May 2024 10:00-11:30 BST
Location: British Business Bank (BBB), 8 Salisbury Square, London EC4Y 8AP & online

Summary

• It was noted that AG Member attendance has been added to the SG Risk Register and that:
  • Steering Group Members will attend, delegate or proxy on voting matters where necessary.
  • Where appropriate, the Steering Group should strongly encourage AG Member attendance and delegates or proxies where necessary.
  • Quorum is defined as ⅔ of voting members present. This will be increasingly important as voting decisions will be posed to members at upcoming meetings.
• It was noted, in B4NZ’s update, that:
  • Positive relationships in relevant government departments are being maintained.
  • Perseus was used as a case study in work with the Transition Plan Task Force.
  • B4NZ are conducting research on reporting and aims to make this available to the Perseus programme.
  • The University of Bath is offering a PhD programme mentioning Perseus, with a specialism in data and SMEs. More information about this will be circulated for discussion.
  • The Broadway Initiative and Planet Mark have launched an SME Carbon Census.
• It was noted, in general updates, that:
  • The Smart Data Council has published a roadmap for smart data in the UK (link).
  • The BBB Carbon Calculator report (link) assessed the market (over 270 carbon reporting solutions) and surveyed UK SMEs to define their reasons for investing in them, with priorities including sustainability, helping other organisations assess them and aiding decision-making.
• It was noted, in Perseus AG updates, that:
  • New banks and carbon accounting platforms will be joining.
  • AG1 (Market & User Needs) has established working groups in User Needs, Assurance, Ecosystem Map And Future Use Cases.
  • AG2 (Technical Requirements) is running working groups in Data Standards and Platforms & Systems. AG2 has posed questions to other AGs to inform the technical design of Perseus.
  • AG3/AG5 (Legal & Policy) has produced a strawman for the dispute resolution process and has launched working groups in Data Licensing, Dispute Resolution and Audit & Data Requirements.
  • AG4 (Communications) is focused on communicating the Perseus use case by developing and using strategic messaging at key project milestones. There are three working groups in AG4: Communicating Momentum; Communications Risks; and Government & Regulator Relationships.
• It was noted, in the oversight summary, that:
  • The Delivery Oversight Committee (IoD, UK Finance, ICAEW, BBB) has reviewed the financials and fed back on future information needs.
  • Approximately 50% of the funding target has been secured so far, which is sufficient to proceed on an iterative basis. 
  • B4NZ has submitted a bid to DESNZ for three years funding for both IB1 and B4NZ. As a first step, DESNZ would be interested in an industry convening on the topic.
  • It was further discussed that an additional pipeline is being actively engaged to hit the target. The project will be rescoped at its internal review points to ensure delivery of the pilot is maintained at pace, descoping detailed design as appropriate (which would see some development into 2025).
  • It was discussed that an updated letter of support will be drafted by IB1 and B4NZ which, with sign-off from the SG, can be used by all Members to garner support.
• It was noted there is an opportunity to capture future funding opportunities in the ‘future use cases’ track.

The next meeting will take place on July 24th 2024. 

Principal: Heather Buchanan, Bankers for Net Zero

Co-chairs:
Tony Greenham, British Business Bank
Gavin Starks, Icebreaker One

Secretariat support:
Icebreaker One

Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat, and are confidential to the Steering Group members.

Co-chaired by Icebreaker One and NWL, the group’s primary function is to help provide leadership and market signalling. Oversight of, and endorsement from, this group will establish a lasting set of robust governance measures to ensure data is shared safely and with the correct regulations.

Since the MVP launch in December 2023, the Stream partners are working towards a key milestone of delivering a functional platform in April 2024.

March’s SG meeting aimed to re-align on the long-term direction of the projects, including the governance process. Approval was sought for the Stream Trademark, the Go-Live criteria and the National Environment Hub approach. The meeting also intended to lay the foundations for the Trust Framework, demonstrating how to publish assured data.

Meeting Summary:

• It was agreed that a ⅔ threshold for voting was established, with one vote per organisation.
• It was noted that Stream’s strategic themes will be used to inform OKRs (objectives and key results) to encourage short-term accountability.
• It was noted that Operational Updates were presented:
  • It was agreed that the trademark application should be progressed.
  • Minor blueprint deviations.
• It was noted that the Steering Group confirmed approval of the go-live criteria offline. The workstream leads have confirmed that requirements are set for go-live on April 30th 2024.
• It was agreed that:
  • The minimum threshold for go-live would be publishing three datasets per use case.
  • The Steering Groups supports the programme delivering the NEH with Water UK.
• It was noted that a briefing on IB1’s Trust Framework roadmap outlined how to publish assured data in Stream.
• It was noted that a briefing on the Operating Model was presented:
  • The team is defining the long-term cost model according to 1) Platform and licensing costs 2) Partner fees and 3) BAU resourcing costs.
  • Personas required to support the lean BAU organisation have been developed.
• It was noted that AG1 updates include:
  • The continued need to establish a shared understanding of the Stream Data Spectrum.
  • The AG will transition from providing operational support to strategic overview.
  • Members have voted on discussion topics from Ofwat’s Outcome Delivery Incentives.
• It was noted that AG2 updates include:
  • The group’s review of the go-live criteria and Trust Framework.
  • Data standards are now publicly available on the GitHub repository.

Key Resources:

• Publishing assurable data guide: https://ib1.org/sops/assured-data-publishing/ 
• Water Sector Trust Framework: https://ib1.org/tf/wstf 

During March’s meeting, we heard updates on the current state of play in the energy sector, including new publications, investment announcements, code reforms and the government’s Smart Data strategy. Icebreaker One outlined work in productisation of data sharing initiatives. Ofgem shared an update on consumer consent, the use of ‘Trust – Prepare – Share’ principles in Data Sharing Infrastructure (DSI) and data best practices. The top three priority areas of DESNZ include publishing the Digital Spine Feasibility Study; innovative projects in the development of automatic asset registration; and Smart Data Schemes. Finally, updates on the Virtual Energy System (VES) and DSI were shared, including a high level roadmap for delivery. 

With 2024 looking to be pivotal for the energy sector, the Open Energy Steering Group is actively inviting stakeholders to join and participate in these key discussions.

Key insights:

• Updates on the current state of play were noted, including:
  • REMA Review Documents
  • Ofgem’s publication on data sharing in a digital future.
  • Ofgem’s open letter on data best practices.
  • National Grid ESO £60B announcement on upgrades.
  • Energy codes reform as code bodies may become licensed.
  • The ‘Data Bill’ (DPDI) is progressing to Royal Assent this year. 
  • The recent budget has an allocation for smart data. 
• Updates from IB1 were noted, outlining work in productisation of data sharing initiatives:
  • Icebreaking – the process of governance, including SG and five AGs to select use cases, collectively define and approve the rules in a Scheme .
  • Trust Framework – identity management and registry, assurance, principles of data sharing and Open Data publishing (https://ib1.org/definitions/trust-framework)
  • Scheme – use-case-led set of specific rules related to data sharing and  its market implementation (https://ib1.org/definitions/scheme)
• Ofgem presented an update on:
  • Consumer consent – a secure, trusted method for giving informed consent to share smart meter data to allow for Flex, innovative products, enhanced visibility and lower costs.
  • Data Sharing Infrastructure – secure and reliable Data Transfer, using ‘Trust – Prepare – Share’ principles.
  • Data Best Practices – standardising and surfacing system data through licence/code obligation to follow the DBP. Expansion across the energy sector will evolve common standards & methods of triage, aggregation, taxonomy, etc.
• An update from DESNZ was presented, including three priority areas:

1. Publishing the Digital Spine Feasibility Study.
2. Visibility of small assets (asset registration service).
3. Smart Data Schemes.

• A Virtual Energy System & Data Sharing Infrastructure update was presented:
  • The feasibility study resulted in ‘Trust, Prepare, Share’ framing. The Prepare and Trust elements are being delivered by the National Digital Twin and IB1 (via Open Energy) respectively.
  • A high-level roadmap for delivery was shared.
• It was further discussed that the broader vision of the ‘digital spine’, ‘virtual energy system’ and ‘open energy’ (which all now sit under the Data Sharing Infrastructure) is market-wide interoperability.
• The governance of Open Energy was discussed:
  • It was noted that given the various programmes and priorities discussed, that 2024 is a pivotal year for energy data.
  • Government values broad industry representation, so who should be in the SG?
  • Broadening industry representation was seen as a priority. 
  • Stakeholders in retail, smart device manufacturers and suppliers were suggested.

Email us at openenergy@ib1.org to get involved in Open Energy.