India can create $500 bn via ODEs by 2030 | Economic Times

Mumbai: India could generate new value of $500 billion through Open Digital Ecosystems (ODEs) by 2030, according to a study by Omidyar Network and the Boston Consulting Group. Open Digital Ecosystems or National Open Digital Ecosystems (NODEs) are frameworks or structures that consist of a set of protocols and digital systems that can be used by government departments, private companies and the public to offer services, collaborate on and innovate new technology solutions. The growing concentration of data with Big Tech companies and by state-owned platforms has stirred public debates on critical issues like data privacy and personal data storage in recent times. As a result, ODEs and NODEs have gained prevalence as one solution to democratise data holding. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in March sought public comments on a White Paper for framing a strategy for an Indian NODE. The paper cited Aadhaar and India Stack as successful examples of such ecosystems. 77795848“The ODE framework is very similar to how we would think of physical infrastructure. It has three layers, the tech layers…India has made progress in building a consensus that these need to be modular, interoperable etc. India has progressed here…the second layer is the governance layer,” said Roopa Kudva, managing director of Omidyar Network India. The governance layer includes entities responsible for creating and maintaining the ODE – such as the government, other regulators and the rules associated with the ODE. “The third layer is what we call community engagement – entrepreneurs, builders who ensure the infrastructure actually gets used and services and solutions are built on top of it. This also refers to developers and civil society,” said Kudva. The importance of the community engagement was seen when civil society offered suggestions and improvements after the Aarogya Setu Covid-19 contact tracing app was launched. The report further details the necessary building blocks of ODEs in India and suggests a roadmap for the adoption and implementation of ‘responsible’ ODEs.