Data sharing in mobility, transport and tourism: the EONA-X challenge

EONA-X has one goal: to create an information exchange platform secure network among European players in mobility, transport and tourism. This initiative, which is an extension of the GAIA-X program, now has technological, technical and cultural challenges that must be met.

founded by a group of users Marseille Provence Airport, Air France KLM, Amadeus, Renault Group, SNCF and ADP group (Paris Airport), EONA-X aims to create a secure and sovereign data exchange platform between European professionals in mobility, transport and tourism. Thanks to this initiative, companies in the sector will have easier access to information, tourists and travelers will benefit from new multimodal mobility services with high added value. All without the burdensome services of the Internet.

As a result of the work carried out within the framework of the European GAIA-X project, EONA-X does not want to be limited to a sectoral data platform (Data Space). The founding members intend to work rapidly on specific use cases. They have also already imagined the scenario of a Brussels resident wanting to go to Paris for the 2024 Olympics.

“So he would take a Thalys or SNCF train, then book a VTC or hire a car to go to the Stade de France as soon as he arrived. After spending the night at the hotel, he would continue his trip to Marseille, for example. In this first use case, all the variables related to the conditions of the trip (concerns, schedules) and the needs of the traveler (reduced mobility, points of interest on arrival) will be taken into account. defines Hub One, operator of digital technologies for businesses and expert in mobility.

It is good to imagine concrete situations. But we must also face the reality of a market-driven world. Therefore, the first challenge of EONA-X is to promote data sharing. If having exclusive data is generally synonymous with competitive advantage, tourism, mobility and transport players will still have to go beyond their own interests to develop an ecosystem that facilitates the flow of data. one secure network information so sometimes we have to agree to share with competitors. GAIA-X is experiencing a subtle paradigm shift.

The second challenge: implementation of the technical and legal framework initiated by GAIA-X. This project, which is very conceptual and theoretical, originally aimed to create a “European supercloud”. In vain. Now moving towards a system secure network connecting different cloud service providers. However, GAIA-X members intend to establish principles (openness, transparency and trust), rules and standards that sectoral initiatives such as EONA-X must respect.

As EONA-X aims to be the “operational” component of GAIA-X, companies registered on the platform will be able to define their own terms for data sharing. For example, they will be able to request ISO 27001 certification for information system security or GDPR compliance for data protection.

The founders of the EONA-X association have identified limitations that could jeopardize their project. The first uncertainty concerns the portability and sovereignty of data shared in a secure network. To ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible, EONA-X Deputy Compliance Officer Luca Sarlo specifically noted that “data exchange can be done through smart contracts in the data network architecture”. Thanks to this model, the execution of the contract would be ensured by an anti-forgery computer protocol (similar to blockchain technology). “Each institution will be responsible for, making available and updating its own information,” Luca Sarlo adds.

The second doubt concerns the influence of American and Asian internet giants. GAIA-X and by extension EONA-X was born from the first goal: to be a European alternative to GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft) and BATX (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi) cloud services. .

“However, recent history has shown that it has often been difficult to work without them, as European companies are used to working with them and the level of functionality offered is high. EONA-X members will have no choice but to take a stand with these key digital players, who will become essential over time to meet the challenges of data sovereignty.” , The First Hub concludes.