> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://open-dataspaces.gitbook.io/ods-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://open-dataspaces.gitbook.io/ods-docs/developer-guide/01-introduction.md).

# Chapter 1 Introduction

## 1.1 Purpose

**"Open Data Spaces Introductory Guidebook for Developers (this document)"** is intended for engineers who are in a position to adopt, implement, or provide services refering to ODS. Its purpose is to provide an initial guide for understanding the overall technical landscape and fundamentals, and for beginning design, implementation, and operations.

Open Data Spaces (ODS)" is an open and scalable foundation for distributed data, built on organizational and national diversity by design. Its adoption requires not merely system construction, but an approach that encompasses technology, compliance, and business considerations. For this reason, enterprises must make decisions — prior to asking "which technology to use" — about what to implement, how much to take on internally, and where to delegate to others. This document is not a technical manual or procedural guide explaining individual specifications or implementation steps; its primary focus is on providing the conceptual understanding and evaluation perspectives needed for making implementation decisions.

Accordingly, this document aims to help enterprises that are adopting or providing ODS-based services understand the overall picture of ODS from their perspective, and to serve as an "entry point for stepping into design and implementation" toward the adoption of Open Dataspaces technologies.

## 1.2 Intended Readers

The **engineers** referred to in this document encompass a broad range of personas involved in the adoption, implementation, and planning of technologies related to data management and AI:

* **Architects and technical leads at enterprises** responsible for ODS adoption and implementation
* **Architects and technical leads at software companies and their technical departments** seeking to implement distributed data management services leveraging ODS
* **Developers, academics, students, and others** who wish to explore ODS technology

## 1.3 Scope of This Document

This document focuses on the content necessary for engineers to begin adopting and implementing ODS. Detailed specialized areas involving advanced design and operations are not covered.

### In Scope

* Foundational technical explanation to support ODS adoption and implementation
* Explanation of technical specifications, OSS (open source software) installation procedures, and SDK (software development kit) usage

### Out of Scope

* Explanation of design philosophy and architectural paradigms
* Support and practices related to services provided by specific products or specific vendors
* Compliance with legal systems, and legal or governance practices
* Requirements, analysis, and strategy for domain- or industry-specific use cases
* Ecosystem and community formation

### Reference Documents

Related documents to be consulted are listed below:

**Table 1 Reference Documents**

| Document Name                                                                                           | Reference Purpose                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      | URL                                                                                               |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Why Open Dataspaces: Design Philosophy and the Architectural Paradigm (hereinafter "Design Philosophy") | A document explaining the design philosophy and architectural paradigm of ODS — a new technical paradigm for distributed data management across organizations, enterprises, and national borders                                                                                                       | <https://www.ipa.go.jp/en/digital/architecture-guidelines/open-dataspaces-design-philosophy.html> |
| Open Data Spaces Reference Architecture Model (hereinafter "ODS-RAM")                                   | A reference architecture for distributed data management across enterprises, industries, and national boundaries. A reference document comprising technology paradigms, hierarchical structure models, protocol relationships                                                                          | <https://open-dataspaces.gitbook.io/ods-docs/>                                                    |
| ODS Protocols (ODP)                                                                                     | A set of technical specifications that provide the functions realizing distributed data management based on ODS-RAM and ensure the interoperability of open dataspaces                                                                                                                                 | <https://open-dataspaces.gitbook.io/ods-docs/>                                                    |
| Open Data Spaces Introductory Guidebook for Users                                                       | A guide for business practitioners and corporate planning staff at companies that use or implement data management and AI services, to evaluate entry into dataspace-related businesses from the perspectives of whether to enter, what roles they can fulfill, and how to approach initial investment | <https://open-dataspaces.gitbook.io/ods-docs/>                                                    |

## 1.4 Overall Structure of This Document

This document is structured to progressively deepen the understanding necessary for business practitioners to begin adopting and implementing ODS. Please read on, as each chapter covers the following topics:

* **Chapter 2**: Understand ODS-RAM (Open Data Spaces Reference Architecture Model), ODS Protocols and the positioning of its key components
* **Chapter 3**: Develop a concrete image of implementation and operations through representative system architecture examples
* **Chapter 4**: In the "Data as a Product" section, gain a foothold for getting started with the SDK through deployment and initial configuration procedures, and understand the initial setup and basic steps toward going live.
* **Chapter 5**: In the "Ontology as a Product" section, gain a foothold for getting started with the SDK through deployment and initial configuration procedures, and understand the initial setup and basic steps toward going live.


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://open-dataspaces.gitbook.io/ods-docs/developer-guide/01-introduction.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
