A Leading Oil and Gas Organization Modernizes OSDU Access Control

The client’s Open Subsurface Data Universe (OSDU®) platform required more precise and adaptable access control. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) provided broad permissions, making it difficult to control access at a fine-grained level, such as for specific projects or well types.

As requirements grew, role management became cumbersome, and static policies could not adapt to dynamic conditions such as user location, user group, or data attributes. 

Hitachi Digital Services’ company 47Lining helped shift the access model from static roles to Policy-Based Access Control (PBAC). This approach decouples roles from permissions, allowing dynamic and contextual rules to govern access in a more scalable way. 

The solution included a new policy service dedicated to centralizing access policy management across the OSDU platform. Hitachi Digital Services also integrated the declarative Rego language to make assertion-based policies easier to write, understand, and maintain. 

The new model gives the platform a more secure, scalable, and manageable access control framework. It also reduces administrative friction while enabling stronger governance over sensitive data.

• Stronger data governance: Precise control over sensitive data supports regulatory and internal policy adherence. 

• Operational efficiency: Declarative, easy-to-manage policies reduce administrative overhead. 

• Business model flexibility: The access model supports new data-sharing agreements and services that were previously difficult to secure.