Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions

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The Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) is a non-profit established in 2017 by Estonia and Finland, [1] with the mission "to develop e-governance solutions...with the X-Road technology used nationwide in the Estonian X-tee and in the Finnish Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer services". [2] It is funded by both countries, with around 1M€ annually. [1] In 2019, Iceland was invited as well, [3] and later the Faroe Islands. [4]

The NIIS manages, develops, verifies, and audits X-Road's source code; administers documentation, business and technical requirements; conducts development; develops and implements principles of licensing and distribution; provides second-line support for members, and engages in international cooperation. [5] It also shares vendor training and certifications on its technology. [6]

The institute has been coined as "a pioneer of cross-border e-governance solution" [7] and "a key component of its digital diplomacy and digital foreign policy work", [6] "unique in the world". [8] In 2020, the Digital Public Goods Alliance found the X-Road technology managed by NIIS was found to be a digital public good in alignment with the Digital Public Goods Standard. [9] Its CEO, Ville Sirviö, [9] is often referenced in international publications. [10] [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 ERR (2017-06-16). "Estonia, Finland establish nonprofit for developing X-Road". ERR. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  2. NIIS 2017 Yearbook (PDF)
  3. ERR, BNS | (2019-02-28). "Iceland latest nation to adopt Estonia's X-Road platform". ERR. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  4. Klatt, Karola (2020-09-10). "Estonia top of the (digital) class" . Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  5. "Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions". Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS). Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  6. 1 2 Kristiansen Nordhaug, Liv Marte; Ngodup, Keyzom (26 Oct 2022). "Building resilience with digital public infrastructure". Observer Research Foundation . Retrieved 19 Mar 2023.
  7. Fourtané, Susan (2020-02-24). "e-Estonia: The World's Most Advanced Digital Society". interestingengineering.com. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  8. Project, The Double Open (2022-07-14). "Nordic Institute For Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) Using Double Open". www.doubleopen.org. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  9. 1 2 Orav, Maris (2022-11-16). "Greenergy Data Centers and NIIS are Laying the Foundations for a Sustainable Digital Future". e-Estonia. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  10. Panel®, Expert. "Council Post: 15 Tips For Sharing Tech Plans With Non-Tech Team Members". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  11. Panel®, Expert. "Council Post: 12 Smart Steps For Building A Comprehensive And Effective IT Budget". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-03-19.