Data pipeline concept

The objective of creating a trusted information space in supply chains and transport corridors can be effectively addressed through the use of data pipelines. The data pipeline concept for supply chains was introduced by UNECE/UN ESCAP in 2011 and is based on two core principles.

The first principle is that the original and validated data on the trade contract and cargo transportation (usually provided by the initial consignor) is collected at the point of origin, transmitted, and made available for use by authorized participants in the supply chain to perform their functions.
This approach focuses on the reuse of original cargo data and accompanying electronic documents within the international supply chain in order to ensure regulatory compliance. In essence, parties to a trade transaction provide data that can be reused by other participants within a shared information space. Data management, access, and security within this space can be ensured through different technologies and approaches.

In traditional paper-based information exchange processes, TLS participants provide data to various government authorities (e.g., customs, statistics, veterinary control) through mandatory forms and submission into government information systems. Instead of such a “data PUSH” model, the fundamental shift introduced by data pipelines is the transition toward a “PULL” model of authorized data access, where government authorities can retrieve required information from existing business IT systems through the data pipeline or obtain authorized access to this information. The key advantage for government authorities is access to original, validated data directly at the source. They can obtain data at any time, not only at the border crossing point, thereby improving control efficiency through pre-arrival information and risk analysis.

The second principle of the integrated data pipeline concept is the notion of synchronization points, which define when shared information must be made available to participants in international trade and transport transactions. In the data pipeline concept, information is structured around routing points where data enters the pipeline (“entry points”) or is extracted from it (“exit points”). In 2023, UN/CEFACT published a White Paper on the Data Pipeline concept aimed at improving data quality in international supply chains. The proposed approach provides participants in international supply chains with high-quality data and creates prerequisites for reliable and secure cross-border information exchange in transport corridors.

When integrating certified TLS platforms into an international transport corridor data pipeline, additional requirements must be met to ensure data quality and sovereignty of data received from the national segment of a digital transport corridor (DTC) in a specific country, in particular:

• authorization, identification, and authentication of participants in the national DTC segment;
• cross-border and intergovernmental transmission of validated and legally significant data and electronic documents;
• protection of national data against unauthorized modification;
• short-term and long-term data storage while preserving confidentiality.

Main task of cross-border exchange

The main task of cross-border exchange of data and electronic documents between national segments of transport corridors in Eurasian countries is to ensure their validity and legal significance. According to the regulatory acts of most countries, an electronic document is considered legally valid if it is created in electronic format using a mandatory data structure and signed with a certified electronic digital signature (EDS), confirming its authenticity and integrity. To ensure legally significant cross-border information exchange, it is necessary to solve the issue of mutual recognition of EDS between participating countries, since it has significant national specificity.

In international practice, there are various mechanisms for mutual recognition (trust assurance) of electronic documents, and the main ones are:

1. Cross-certification, reflecting information security policy for widely used cryptographic algorithms (e.g., eIDAS in the EU, verifiable credentials mechanisms in W3C).
2. Trusted Third Party (TTP) services for EDS verification (use of trusted service centers) in cases where cryptographic algorithms of one of the parties have restrictions on cross-border use.
3. Blockchain-based solutions using distributed ledger technologies.

Government authorities in EAEU and SPECA countries are currently not ready to recognize cryptographic tools of other states within their territory or to export their own cryptography, therefore the first approach of cross-certification is not applicable at present. As for the TTP approach, it is widely used in EAEU and SPECA countries for bilateral cross-border information exchange between countries, but it requires intergovernmental agreements. The legal scheme of the TTP approach used for cross-border exchange of electronic documents is schematically shown in Figure 1.

Experts from the Completesoft expert group have experience in developing and implementing corporate TTP technical solutions to ensure cross-border exchange of legally significant electronic documents between railway administrations of EU and EAEU countries (Poland–Belarus, Baltic States–Belarus).

Рисунок 1. Схема кросс-граничного информационного обмена на основе ДТС

Solution based on PKI and corporate blockchain

Requirements for data quality and digital sovereignty can be effectively met using a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), embedded within a digital transport corridor (DTC) as a corporate blockchain with a single root certification authority.
Such a specialized PKI infrastructure can act as a trust mechanism between participants of an international transport corridor and implies the use of national TLS platforms with distributed blockchain nodes, which serve as cross-border information exchange modules within national segments of the DTC. This blockchain-based technical solution enables the following:

• Storage of digital certificates in a distributed ledger, effectively controlled by DTC participants and available at each blockchain node containing an identical reference version of shared data;
• Elimination of anonymity of actions within DTC participants and registration of their activities based on issued certificates (in line with eFTI directive requirements in the EU);
• Functioning as a communication hub enabling connectivity between national TLS platforms of participating countries, while also creating a secure data transmission channel and effectively protecting the DTC information space and critical elements of its digital infrastructure in national segments against potential intrusions and unauthorized data exchange;
• Ensuring compliance with the requirements of digital sovereignty for each individual country participating in the DTC.

Practical implementation: Completesoft project for the EU–China corridor (2020–2021)

A similar technical solution was developed in 2020–2021 by the Completesoft expert group for the concept of digitalizing the transport corridor between the EU and China. The concept was based on the creation of a network of blockchain nodes deployed on national TLS platforms to build a data pipeline and ensure legally significant cross-border information exchange.

The corresponding scheme proposed for the digitalization of the EU–China transport corridor is shown in Figure 2.

This concept was approved at the 28th technical meeting of the NEAL-NET working group, with participation of experts from the Chinese national logistics information platform LOGINK.

Figure 2. scheme for digitalization of the EU–China transport corridor using blockchain modules

National programs for transport and logistics digitalization

National transport and logistics platforms and systems

Digitalization of transport and logistics business processes

Digital transport corridors (DTC)