How GATE Institute and Prof. Sylvia Ilieva Created the First Urban Data Space in Bulgaria

Technology is a true passion for Prof. Sylvia Ilieva and she believes that a person's mission is to create something new to improve the environment around them. Therefore, it is no surprise that she is the main driver for creating Bulgaria's First Center of Excellence in the field of Big Data - Big Data for Smart Society ( GATE Institute ). For several months, it has also been operating the First Urban Data space in our country.

It is among GATE Institute's largest initiatives and follows an innovative model where organizations can share data with each other without the need to provide physical access to it.

"When you hear space, you imagine a physical place, a room with servers where we collect information. But that is no longer the case. Using the concept of IDSA ( International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) ), whose Bulgarian hub is GATE Institute, the data stays by its source, and the space is? an ecosystem with? certain rules and technologies, so that data? can be shared," explains Prof. Ilieva.?

The exchange itself and subsequent analysis occurs with the help of algorithms based on AI. Following this approach, without physically sharing sensitive data, ecosystem participants end up with an analysis of the work of a much wider range of experts than each of them has individually.

The first practical results of the work of the data space will become clear this autumn, when a European project to improve mobility and integrated urban transport in Sofia will be launched. The project involves? a consortium of over 40 partners - among them?9 cities, including Sofia, represented by?GATE Institute? along with Sofia Municipality, Urban Mobility Center and several companies, providing eco-friendly options for movement within the city.?

They will share data from their activity in the protected environment of the Urban data space, and their analysis will enable residents and guests of the capital to receive real-time traffic information and a proposal for the "greenest" route from one place to another.

Read the whole interview here and explore the different applications and benefits of the Urban Data Space.