Etteln is starting to develop Germany’s first municipal data space. At the same time, a digital GP assistant, an automated flying drone to support the fire department, and the development of dynamic electricity prices are being introduced. Parliamentary State Secretary from the BMDS, Thomas Jarzombek, and CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann are enthusiastic following their visit to Etteln.
Etteln is now the most digital village in Germany and won the global IEEE Smart City Contest ahead of Hong Kong at the end of 2024. The world’s largest professional association has thus confirmed that Etteln is at the cutting edge of digitalisation worldwide. Digitalisation in Etteln is based on FIWARE technology (the FIWARE Data Space Connector), which is now the world’s leading, license-free (open-source) platform technology for the digitalisation of cities and municipalities, and is used by more than 500 cities worldwide. Over the years, a vibrant community has developed around FIWARE, supported by the FIWARE Foundation.
On 22 July 2025, Etteln announced that it would take the next step and implement the first data space in the municipal sector in Germany. A municipal data space can enable a municipality to link mobility data, environmental sensor data, energy consumption data, or citizen feedback from various (including external) sources to generate intelligent services (e.g., energy management, noise reduction, citizen participation, etc.) while maintaining data sovereignty and based on interoperable, secure structures.
At the core of this new data space technology are, among other things, the solutions from Gaia-X. Gaia-X was originally initiated at the end of 2019 by Peter Altmeyer, then Minister of Economic Affairs. The Gaia-X Association was subsequently founded in early 2021 by initially 11 French and 11 German companies and organisations. Today, Gaia-X, headquartered in Brussels, has over 260 global members and provides the foundational technology for creating distributed and trustworthy digital data ecosystems.
The responsible Gaia-X committee named the project in Etteln, entitled Community-X, a Gaia-X lighthouse project at the beginning of July 2025, due to its potential. This project is led by the FIWARE Foundation, based in Berlin.
Thomas Jarzombek, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernisation, was impressed by his visit to Etteln:
“The whole village is getting involved and has created a pioneer in terms of digitalisation in Germany. Etteln has understood that it is not just the infrastructure that is important, but that the real added value of digitalisation only comes from data and software. With the integrated data room, Etteln will realise the next stage of digitalisation and once again set an example for Germany.”
Carsten Linnemann, Secretary General of the CDU and Member of the German Bundestag:
“Just do it and trust the local people. This is practised in Etteln like in no other town. But the entire region is also in favour of taking the reins and creating innovative solutions. The newly founded airline, which will start scheduled flights between Paderborn and Munich from 1 September 2025, and the New Mobility Paderborn project are just two more examples of this.”
Christoph Rüther, District Administrator of the Paderborn district, adds:
“The Paderborn district is considered a high-performance IT location for both established companies and start-ups in North Rhine-Westphalia. Heinz Nixdorf, whose 100th birthday we are celebrating this year, laid the foundation for this development with Nixdorf Computer AG. It is an ideal environment for the emergence of digital beacons such as Etteln, which also involves the University of Paderborn and companies from the Paderborn district. Our great asset is our cohesion. We live in a region where volunteer work is deeply rooted and, together with companies, universities, and local authorities, makes a real future possible.”
Borchen’s mayor, Uwe Gockel, adds:
“After the Borchen municipal administration took over the consortium leadership of the ‘Digital Village Twin Etteln’ project, we were happy to participate in the Community-X project. The goal is to develop trustworthy digital solutions that can be easily transferred to our other districts, but also to other municipalities.”
Ulrich Ahle, head of the local council in Etteln, concludes:
“The transformation into the most digital village in Germany began 10 years ago, and I am proud of the many volunteers, associations, and organisations that have contributed to this. Together, we have succeeded in transferring a traditionally high willingness to volunteer from the analogue to the digital world and in taking all generations with us on this journey. Together, we have significantly increased the attractiveness of our beautiful village in the Altenau region. What we need now are new building sites, which we hope will be created in the near future.”
Chandra Challagonda, CEO of the FIWARE Foundation, added:
“Community-X in Etteln is an excellent example of how local communities can drive global innovation through an open, sovereign, and interoperable digital infrastructure. FIWARE’s open source standards and the FIWARE Data Space Connector, in conjunction with the Eclipse Data Connector (EDC), enable this village to not only become the most digital village in Germany, but also to create a replicable model for the future of trusted data spaces. It’s not just about technology – it’s about empowering citizens to drive sustainability and show that the foundations for AI-enabled, climate-friendly, and citizen-driven digital ecosystems can be laid everywhere.”
Barbara Steffens, Head of the TK NRW regional office, concluded:
“The digital GP practice shows how it’s done: rapid on-site help in the event of illness. In Etteln, we can use the digital practice to show how digitalisation helps to care for patients. Innovative technology and the human support provided by a GP assistant go hand in hand perfectly.”
The Community X partners are contributing in kind. The partnership is open to other participants and aims to use the solution in Etteln to create a reusable design for other municipalities in Germany and beyond. The following have been invited as project partners so far:
- FIWARE Foundation: Supporting the community in the development of intelligent data models and open source (license-free) FIWARE platform technologies, including those for data space building blocks.
- Hypertegrity AG: Providing the FIWARE-based digitisation platform in Etteln.
- International Data Spaces Association: Provides the ‘Data Space Protocol’, which is currently on its way to becoming a global ISO standard.
- Fraunhofer Society: Already implementing a test field in Etten on behalf of the German Energy Agency, based on the energy data-X data space.
- solutiT: Local software and consulting company from Etteln responsible for connecting devices to the digital twin.
- Windcores: Currently operates the digitisation platform in Etteln. Cofinity-X Operates the Catena-X automotive data room.
- T-Systems: Operates one of the two German Gaia-X digital clearing houses.
- PFALZKOM GmbH: Operates the second German Gaia-X digital clearing house.
- Borchen municipality: Provides municipal use cases.
- Open & Agile Smart Cities & Communities: International association of over 160 smart cities and municipalities that have committed to using uniform data standards.
- SEAMWARE: Non-profit software company from Spain for the development of FIWARE data space components.
- Prometheus-X: Software company from France offering software building blocks for interoperable data spaces based on Gaia-X.
- Gaia-X: International organisation based in Belgium for the creation of trustworthy digital ecosystems
The project is breaking new ground in financing external costs by relying on donations through crowdfunding. Donors and financiers can access and use this platform: https://www.gofundme.com/f/communityx-wh745.
A tax-deductible donation receipt will be issued to donors in Germany for contributions of €500 or above.
A trustworthy digital data space forms the basis for many intelligent applications in the municipal environment, as well as in mobility, the energy industry, and healthcare.
Three such projects were also presented in and for Etteln on July 22:
DIHVA: Digital family doctor assistants
In this innovative pilot project by Techniker Krankenkasse, the practice rooms of the former Etteln family doctor are used by a specially trained nurse who has a wide range of digital examination equipment at her disposal. The examination results are pre-analysed by artificial intelligence and presented to the doctor in the neighbouring town. The doctor makes the diagnosis and discusses the examination results with the patient via video conference. The aim is to be able to handle 80% of cases in this way and to provide basic care locally, even in rural areas.
Automated flying firefighting drone
In this joint project with the district of Paderborn, the district fire department headquarters launches an automated flying drone in the event of an emergency, and it flies automatically to the scene. As soon as the volunteer fire department has manned its vehicles, the firefighters receive a situation report from the scene while en route and can prepare accordingly.
Test field for energy data
On behalf of the Future Energy Lab (FEL) of the German Energy Agency (dena), a consortium led by the Fraunhofer Society is implementing dynamic electricity prices for Etteln based on the energy data-X data room, involving pilot households. Access to consumption and generation systems from small-scale installations is also being developed. The project is funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE).
Top: Ulrich Ahle (Head, local council in Etteln)
Bottom: Vera Böhner (Business Development Manager DACH, FIWARE Foundation)
