The iSHARE Scheme was developed with the following assumptions in mind: 

1. Conditions for the exchange of data are assumed to be established;
   The iSHARE Scheme needs to rely upon the responsibility of participants to know what rights they have to what data. iSHARE is meant as an instrument to exchange data in a uniform, controlled and straightforward way; it is not meant as a means to resolve questions of data ownership. In practice this means that a party sharing data bears responsibility to sufficiently establish whether the party receiving the data is authorized to receive it. 
   
   
2. Data formats and semantics are assumed to be in place;
   In order to be able to exchange data, a mutual understanding of the meaning of data and the way data is structured is required. Within iSHARE, it is assumed that this mutual understanding exists and thus the exchange of data between involved parties is possible (in line with guiding principle 4). Please note that this assumption emphasises the need for industry initiatives on data standards and formats. 
   
   
3. Data classification has taken place;
   It is assumed that within the iSHARE Scheme, participants have sufficiently identified and classified their data. iSHARE participants are responsible for the classification of their data; the iSHARE Scheme does not prescribe its participants how to classify their resources. Please refer to data classification in the glossary for further detail.

Operational assumptions:

The Operational details of the iSHARE Scheme were developed with the following assumptions in mind: 

1. There will be a Scheme Owner of a yet to be defined form;
   This can be an existing body or a new body, and/or responsibilities can be split between different bodies. 
   
   
2. The Scheme Owner is financed through some type of financing constellation;
   This can be through participants paying some type of fee or in any other feasible way. The Operational working group did not decide upon the financing constellation of the Scheme Owner.
   
   
3. The complexity of the operational processes is expected to be as follows:
   
   • It is considered reasonable to expect between 1000 and 10000 Adhering Parties in the first 5 years after iSHARE goes live;
   • It is considered reasonable to expect between 20 and 50 Certified Parties in the first 5 years after iSHARE goes live;
   • It is considered reasonable to expect parties to participate from countries all over the world in the first 5 years;
   • The Scheme Owner aims to keep effort needed for admission as low as possible for both Adhering- and Certified Parties without compromising the integrity of the iSHARE Scheme and -network;
   • The Scheme Owner regularly tests the robustness of the scheme and plans for mitigation of risks/threats (e.g. identifying Single Points of Failure);
   • The Scheme Owner is assumed to have at least some responsibility in realising sustainable growth of the iSHARE network;
   • The management of disputes regarding the contents of the data shared through iSHARE is not a core role of the Scheme Owner; disputes should be handled by involved parties.
     
     These assumptions are, in NO WAY, ambitions. They were simply defined to base processes and service levels upon.