Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions explained

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". It is funded by both countries, with around 1M€ annually. In 2019, Iceland was invited as well,^[2] and later the Faroe Islands.^[3]

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.^[4] It also shares vendor training and certifications on its technology.^[5]

The institute has been coined as "a pioneer of cross-border e-governance solution" ^[6] and "a key component of its digital diplomacy and digital foreign policy work", "unique in the world".^[7] 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.^[8] Its CEO, Ville Sirviö, is often referenced in international publications.^{[9] [10]}

Notes and References

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