Assured Open Data: A trusted publication pathway for the energy sector
Why the energy sector needs this now
Regulated energy organisations are being asked to publish more data, more openly than at any point in the sector’s history. DNOs are scaling asset and flexibility data publication under ED2 and the transition to DSO. Code bodies and market operators are working through Ofgem’s Data Best Practice Guidance (DBPG) and the ENA Data Triage and Metadata Management Playbook. Parallel work on asset visibility, connections reform, and AI-readiness all converges on the same point: data has to be discoverable, interoperable, and trustworthy enough to be used.
Yet most data publication today remains fragmented across portals, inconsistent in metadata and structure, and difficult for third parties to discover, integrate, or reuse with confidence. Organisations can technically meet guidance while producing data the market still cannot rely on at scale.
The ESTF Assured Open Data Scheme addresses that gap.
DBPG sets the direction. AOD makes it operational.
The DBPG defines what good looks like: data that is discoverable, interoperable, open, well-governed, and of sufficient quality to support reuse. The ENA playbook builds on this with shared approaches to triage, sensitivity, and metadata. Both are sound. The challenge is in turning principle into consistent, externally credible practice.
The ESTF AOD Scheme provides that translation as a codified, governed set of rules that an organisation formally commits to and is verifiably assessed against. Two elements do the operational work:
Progressive assurance levels operate at both organisational and dataset level. Organisational assurance verifies identity, governance, and accountability. Dataset assurance covers metadata quality, format, provenance, licensing, accessibility, and update cadence. Four cumulative levels run from minimum DBPG-aligned entry expectations through to comprehensive, machine-readable cross-market reuse. See the Generic Assurance Levels for the full level matrix.
An open data licensing and rights model that ensures published data carries clear, consistent terms for reuse. Personal data is excluded from publication under the Scheme. Licensing, alongside Scheme policies, data standards and API specifications, is held as codified, machine-readable rules in the ESTF Registry – meaning requirements can be updated through Scheme governance without renegotiating underlying contracts.
Together these elements are aligned with NOVA, IB1’s Networked, Open, Verifiable Architecture for a trusted data-enabled economy, ensuring the work builds towards interoperable participation in the wider market, rather than compliance with a single regime.
What this means for regulated organisations
For DNOs, AOD provides a defensible, evidence-based route to demonstrating DBPG alignment as publication obligations expand under ED2 and ED3. Maturity assessment surfaces the gaps that matter most before regulator or stakeholder scrutiny does.
For code bodies and market operators, AOD offers a consistent, externally credible way to demonstrate publishing capability across an increasingly cross-sector set of data assets, without needing to invent or self-certify what “good” looks like.
For the data users this is ultimately for – flexibility providers, planners, retailers, researchers, AI developers, finance – AOD produces visible, interpretable trust signals about quality, provenance, and reuse rights. That is what turns published data into trusted, usable data.
How the scheme works in practice
The AOD Scheme sits within the Energy Sector Trust Framework and is governed by Open Energy. Participation is layered: Members sign IB1 Membership, the ESTF Trust Framework Terms, and the AOD Scheme Agreement.
Once in the Scheme, Members:
- Publish data under the Scheme’s open licence
- Are assigned organisational and dataset assurance levels proportionate to capability and dataset context
- Display verifiable trust signals via assurance badges and machine-readable records in the ESTF Registry, Directory and Catalogue
- Can progress through assurance levels over time as publishing practice develops
The Scheme is non-exclusive. Members remain free to participate in other initiatives and frameworks alongside it. Personal data is excluded from publication under the Scheme.
Get involved
The ESTF Assured Open Data Scheme is open to anyone publishing data related to the UK energy sector, including regulated energy organisations, code bodies, and market operators working through DBPG and adjacent publication obligations. Read the official scheme definition in the ESTF registry, including the Scheme Agreement. See Joining a Scheme for an explanation of the process, or contact the Open Energy team at openenergy@icebreakerone.org for further information.