NOVA principles
V2025-08-28
| NOVA — Networked, Open, Verifiable Architecture Addressing the market architecture for a trusted data-enabled economy |
Please cite as: IB1, https://ib1.org/nova
Introduction
NOVA helps illustrate how to talk about developing a trusted, data-enabled economy from a market architecture perspective.
A ‘NOVA-compliant’ solution embodies a coordinated structure of interoperable rules, governance, and infrastructure that connects actors across sectors while ensuring data flows are lawful, rights-based, and fit-for-purpose.
It is not a platform or standard, but a framework to ensure platforms, organisations, and institutions can collaborate safely, transparently, and competitively. It reflects the way markets are working and evolving today such as Open Banking, the direction of the recent UK Data Act and pioneering initiatives such as Perseus, Open Energy and Open Property.
Delivering NOVA-enabled markets requires coordination between commercial, non-commercial, research, and government actors, whether the resultant outcomes are regulated or not. Note that ‘data lakes’ and other centralised databases are also members of and participants in an open market.
If you have comments, or are interested in discussing or using NOVA, please contact research@ib1.org (or comment on this open Gdoc). There’s also a LinkedIn conversation. If you would like to join our network of fellow-travellers (it’s free), please sign up at https://ib1.org/constellation
Overview
NOVA reflects the processes behind trusted data sharing on the web, enabling networked participation, built on open standards, and backed by verifiable processes. It blends centralised, collaborative governance with decentralised data sharing to build connected ecosystems of trust.
Networked
Data infrastructure must support modular, federated and interoperable participation across organisations, sectors, and jurisdictions.
- Modular: embody what is needed in a repeatable, cohesive and scalable manner
- Federated: support the coexistence of multiple platforms, protocols, and providers
- Interoperable: systems (not just technical, but also legal and operational) must be able to interact with low cost and friction, with harmonised approaches
Open
Data infrastructure must be grounded in open standards, API-enabled access, and transparent governance.
- Open standards: standards which are openly accessible and usable by anyone
- Open APIs: a web-addressable interface that enables machine-enabled data exchange
- Transparent governance: clear, accurate, and timely disclosure of policies, decisions, performance and impact
Verifiable
Data infrastructure and data access, usage, and governance must be assurable, rights-based and permissioned.
- Assurable: that the process of joining as a member, and of enabling data transfer and use can be audited, tracked and held to account
- Rights-based: data sharing is based on legal and related rights, codified in a contract, and enabled between assured members
- Permissioned: where relevant, or required by law, that permission or consent is given from the business or consumer, or that pre-authorised permission is determined by contract
Architecture
Data infrastructure must optimise for market access while enabling adaptive governance, whether market participants are data providers or data users, to ensure an open market.
- Market access: enable any Verifiable actor to enter the market
- Adaptive governance: define, iterate at market-relevant pace, enable, and facilitate scalable enforcement of, the rules
- Open market: ensure private sector, public-benefit, and national interests are addressed
How can NOVA be used and complement other principles?
NOVA focussed on market governance, with an architecture that supports the design and delivery of sector-specific and cross-sector data sharing initiatives. It helps frame:
- Which market actors should be involved
- What rules and roles are required for trusted participation
- What legal and technical infrastructure is required to operate at scale
- How interactions can be managed with policy, regulation and codes to enable lawful data flows
- What interoperability conditions are required for scale, reuse and redress
| Principle | Strength | Role in a Scheme | When to Prioritise |
| NOVA (IB1) | Market architecture for trust | Coordinated governance, legal-policy-tech alignment, verifiability | When enabling trusted, cross-sector data sharing at national or economy scale |
| FAIR | Technical interoperability | Metadata schemas, AI-readiness, semantic alignment | When maximising data reuse and cross-platform compatibility |
| CARE | Ethical and rights-based governance | Community-led consent, sovereignty, benefit-sharing | When data involves Indigenous or marginalised communities |
Example or related frameworks and directives
| GEMINI (via CDBB UK-led) | Values-based information management | Framework for federated, purpose-led digital infrastructure | When designing data systems across built environments. Infrastructure modernisation. |
| INSPIRE (EU led) | Geospatial interoperability | Standards for environmental and location data exchange | When handling spatial, planning, land, or utility data |