The National Once-Only Technical System (NOOTS)
The National Once-Only Technical System (NOOTS) is a key component of administrative digitisation and modernisation. As a central IT infrastructure, it enables the implementation of the once-only principle and thus the efficient exchange of data between government agencies and citizens.
What Lies behind the National Once-Only Technical System
NOOTS stands for National Once-Only Technical System. The technical infrastructure makes it possible to exchange evidence for processing applications between the IT systems of different government agencies such as registers and thus to implement the once-only principle.
The once-only principle is based on the principle that data and evidence already available to the administration does not have to be provided again by citizens. NOOTS plays a decisive role in implementing the principle: It offers a technical solution for exchanging data between different government agencies, administrative units, citizens and companies. NOOTS – which is being implemented by the German Federal Office of Administration (BVA) and the Federal IT Co-operation (FITKO) – is thus making an important contribution to making the administration more efficient and citizen-friendly.
NOOTS as a Central Component of Administrative Digitisation
NOOTS is a central element in the modernisation of digital administrative processes: As a mediation infrastructure, it enables simplified data exchange between portals for citizens (e.g., verwaltung.bund.de) and the administrative registers that provide the evidence and data. To fulfil this intermediary role, NOOTS provides components such as register data navigation, Identity and Access Management (IAM) for government agencies and Identity Management (IDM) for individuals and secure connection nodes. These components ensure that citizens can identify themselves securely, that data is retrieved from the relevant registers and that evidence is only transmitted in authorised cases. However, the actual processing of applications or data and the transmission of notifications are not part of NOOTS.
EU-OOTS: Integration in EU Systems
The EU-OOTS (EU Once-Only Technical System) – the European counterpart to the NOOTS – implements the once-only principle at the European level. This is providing EU citizens with a great deal of relief: In future, they will only have to provide their data once in an EU member state in order to be able to use it for various administrative procedures throughout the EU. At the same time, this will increase the efficiency and security of administrative procedures: Government agencies in the EU can then be sure that they will always have access to up-to-date and trustworthy data. NOOTS is to be integrated into the EU-OOTS in order to ensure the smooth exchange of data between the national systems and the European system.
What the Connection to NOOTS Means
Both online portals and administrative registers are connected to the NOOTS. The implementation of the once-only principle has positive effects, such as strong digitisation, efficient administrative processes with as little manual effort as possible, and greater transparency for citizens and companies in the handling of administrative procedures. However, there are also challenges to overcome, such as:
- making technical adjustments to online services and registers for fulfilling the conditions for connection to the NOOTS
- harmonising data formats and structures between different administrative units (e.g., by introducing the XNachweis technical standard)
- ensuring data quality and integrity
- implementing data protection and security standards
- creating awareness and acceptance among the population
Fields of Action for a Successful NOOTS Connection
Preparations must be made for connecting existing systems – i.e., connecting administrative registers or portals for citizens and companies. One of the most important is a comparison of the current status of existing systems with the target status that must be achieved in order to network with NOOTS. In addition to technical aspects, organisational measures are also important and need to be planned from the outset.
Making Technical Adjustments to Online Services and Registers for Fulfilling the NOOTS Connection Conditions
NOOTS sets technical standards as a centralised system that ensures the exchange of data between registers and portals for citizens and companies. This results in requirements for the systems that are to be connected, which must be guaranteed via various work packages: Connection to the identity data retrieval (IDA), the implementation of secure access nodes (SAN) as a REST API for accessing the NOOTS, the customisation or expansion of the logging of data access and the connection to the data protection cockpit. In many cases, adjustments must also be made to ensure the required response times and the performance. For implementing the tasks, operating systems, middleware or runtime environments may need to be newly introduced or adapted. Monitoring ongoing data transfers, error management or the resilience of the system to ensure availability are also some of the topics that require clarification.
Harmonisation of Data Formats and Structures
A major challenge when connecting to NOOTS is the harmonisation of data formats and structures, as the various administrative units must be able to store and exchange their data in a standardised format. For example, a verifying body must be able to return an error message to the requesting body. To ensure this, NOOTS works with XNachweis – a standard for the transmission of certificates from the German Federal Office of Administration. In this case, XNachweis ensures that the format of the error message contains typical elements such as an error code, an error text or a link to further information. However, portals or registers must first be checked for necessary modifications in order for corresponding communication between portals, registers and NOOTS to function on the basis of the specification.
Implementing Data Protection and Security Standards
Implementing data protection and security standards is essential for guaranteeing the privacy and security of citizens. For this reason, NOOTS must be equipped with robust security measures to prevent unauthorised access to the data, such as by using encrypted connections and secure authentication methods. When connecting systems to NOOTS, it is therefore necessary to check in advance to what extent corresponding standards and requirements already exist. Detailed technical specifications and instructions can be found in the Technical Design Documents, which are provided by the German Federal Office of Administration.
Creating Awareness and Acceptance among the Population
In addition to technical and organisational measures, a communication concept is also needed to publicise the corresponding services linked to NOOTS. However, security and data protection issues are not the only things of particular importance for the acceptance of systems such as NOOTS. For this reason, the integration of a data protection cockpit is planned, where citizens must expressly consent to the transfer of data and can also revoke their consent. You can find out more about this in the article on the once-only principle.
The Path to Successful Implementation with NOOTS
In administration, the connection to NOOTS is intended to improve efficiency and transparency – including at the international level through integration into the EU system. Prior to this, registers need to fulfil the legal requirements on introducing the identification number (ID number) and must include the identification number in the database. It is also necessary for data to be cleansed in order to remove or correct duplicates. This requires identity data matching, in which the data is checked and verified to ensure its accuracy and uniqueness.
Along with technical requirements, a clear digitisation strategy and implementation expertise at all levels of the administration are crucial. With careful planning, NOOTS can be successfully integrated and the once-only principle implemented. Bundesdruckerei supports the modernisation of registers and portals as they proceed to complete administrative digitisation.
