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1. Joining AgrospAI

This guide details the steps to obtain the necessary credentials to participate in AgrospAI.

Introduction​

The AgrospAI data space is based on the Pontus-X ecosystem and some of the services of the Gaia-X Trust Framework. The following subsections detail how the data space can be used.

Obtaining participant credentials​

Initially, participation in the AgrospAI data space will be based on a managed approach, following the initial governance model in which the demonstrator promoter will be responsible for managing the data space and generating both the credentials and the private keys of the participants. The Universitat de Lleida, as the promoter of AgrospAI, will be in charge of publishing the signed credentials and will provide participants with their private keys so that they can interact with the data space. It will also keep a copy of the private keys in custody to facilitate support to participants and in case of emergency, for example, if the participant loses their private key.

Later, once the participants are familiar with the AgrospAI data space, they can opt for a self-sovereign approach, in which they generate their own private key according to the instructions in the Pontus-X ecosystem documentation. It is important to note that, in this case, the participants will be fully responsible for their private key. This includes ensuring that it is not lost or leaked, maintaining secure backups, and assuming all responsibility for their interactions with the data space.

To complete the obtaining of credentials, and as required by both the Pontus-X and Gaia-X ecosystems, all participants must provide the following details about their organization. Interactions with the space are done on behalf of the participating organizations and not in a personal capacity. This is, therefore, information about the corresponding legal entity, in no case will personal data be collected or registered.

The information required of any legal entity to participate in AgrospAI, aligned with the requirements established by the Gaia-X Trust Framework for the description of participants includes:

  • Name: short name.
  • URL: main Web address of the legal entity.
  • Legal name: the officially registered one.
  • Legal registration number: for EU participants, the NIF or VAT number is recommended, which can be verified online. Other alternatives are EUID, EORI or LEI.
  • Country subdivision code: based on the ISO 3166-2 standard, which combines the country code and a subdivision code that varies in each country.
  • Legal address: street, postal code and locality.

Example:

  • Name: UdL
  • URL address: https://www.udl.cat
  • Legal name: Universitat de Lleida
  • NIF: ESQ7550001G
  • Country subdivision code: ES-L
  • Legal address:
    • Address: Víctor Siurana, 1
    • Postal code: 25003
    • Locality: Lleida

The data space promoter will register this information through the channels established in the Pontus-X ecosystem, as a necessary step for the participant to be able to operate in the ecosystem. In addition, it will offer participants the option of generating and storing their Gaia-X Verifiable Participant Credentials based on the previous information. Alternatively, detailed instructions and source code examples will be provided to participants so that they can generate, digitally sign and store their own self-sovereign credentials.

Examples of credentials for some of the AgrospAI participants:

The above credentials can be validated using the Gaia-X Digital Clearing House (GXDCH) service, for example, the staging variant of version 1 of GCDCH: https://compliance.lab.gaia-x.eu/v1-staging/docs

Digital wallet configuration​

Regarding the use of the private key for interaction with the data space, whether the key is generated autonomously by the participant or provided by the data space promoter, the configuration of a digital wallet is required.

The recommendation for the configuration and use of a wallet is to use the MetaMask browser extension. This extension is available for iOS, Android and different desktop browsers, as shown in Fig. 1. It can be downloaded from https://metamask.io/download/ and then follow the instructions for its installation.

Fig. 1. MetaMask download page (source: https://metamask.io/download/)

Once the MetaMask extension has been installed and configured, creating a new wallet and protecting it with a password, you will be able to import the private key provided by the data space promoter. The private key will be provided to you as a JSON file (with the extension ".json") along with a password with which the private key is protected.

To import the private key, follow the detailed instructions at: https://support.metamask.io/es/start/how-to-import-an-account/#importing-using-a-json-file

From that moment on, you will be able to interact with the data space beyond the simple exploration of the catalog. This includes the consumption of existing datasets and services or the provision of new datasets and services through the data space, as detailed in the following subsections.

If you want to use one of those generated autonomously by the participant, the corresponding public key must be communicated to the promoter so that its use is authorized and associated with the participant's credentials.