Reflecting on the Growing Open Standards Movement at Big Data London 2025

I've been reflecting on how encouraging it is to see open standards taking such a prominent place at Big Data London this year.

At BearingNode, we've been investing significant resources into engaging with the OpenLineage community, and it's brilliant to see this commitment to open source solutions reflected across the industry.

From Dremio's session on the "Agentic Lakehouse" leveraging Apache Iceberg and MCP, to the discussions around Apache Polaris (now a fully open source Apache project), to the broader conversations about vendor-neutral catalogues and interoperability - it feels like the industry is genuinely embracing open standards as the foundation for next-generation data, analytics and AI architecture.

Governance and Observability: A Necessary Partnership

This evolution is particularly critical as we move into the AI era, where the fundamental truth becomes clear: governance ≠ observability. We can no longer treat AI & Data governance as separate from AI & Data observability - these are distinct but complementary capabilities that must work in tandem.

Observability without governance is blind; governance without observability is powerless. Together, they enable true control over AI systems.

Open Standards in the Age of AI

The open standards movement becomes even more vital in this context. Traditional data governance frameworks assumed static data flows, but AI systems that learn and adapt require observability capabilities that can track dynamic & Probabilistic behaviour alongside governance frameworks that respond to changing circumstances.

Open protocols like OpenLineage become essential for tracking AI model lineage, while standards like MCP enable governance frameworks to interact with AI systems in real-time.

Community and Collaboration

We seeing DataHub present twice this year, on building context for AI and for AI Governance which is great. With DataHub's open core strategy, it is great to see; especially with their recent addition of MCP.

I'd also love to see OpenLineage featuring more prominently next year - given the critical role data lineage plays in governance, compliance, and AI trustworthiness, it deserves a central place in these discussions.

A Bright Future for the UK

This gives me real optimism about the UK's position in the global data, analytics and AI ecosystem. We have the civic commitment, strong legal framework, and principled thinking necessary to lead in this open, collaborative approach to AI governance and observability.

---

About the Author

Daniel Rolles is the CEO and Founder of BearingNode, where he leads the firm's mission to help organisations unlock the commercial value of their data whilst enhancing their risk management capabilities.

As CEO, Daniel drives BearingNode's strategic vision and thought leadership in data transformation, analytics strategy, and the evolving regulatory landscape. He regularly shares insights through industry publications and speaking engagements, focusing on practical approaches to data governance, AI implementation, and performance transformation in regulated environments. He is one of the key authors of BearingNode's Data and Information Observability Framework.

With over 30 years of experience in Data, Analytics and AI, Daniel has successfully built and led D&A teams across multiple industries including Financial Services (investment, commercial and retail banking, investment management and insurance), Healthcare, and Real Estate. His expertise spans consulting, commercial leadership, and delivery management, with a particular focus on data governance and regulatory compliance.

Daniel holds a Bachelor of Economics (University of Sydney), Masters of Science (Birkbeck College, University of London), and Executive MBA (London Business School).

Based in London, Daniel is passionate about financial inclusion and social impact. He serves as a Trustee for Crosslight Advice, a debt advisory and financial literacy charity based in West London that provides vital support to individuals facing financial vulnerability.

Connect with Daniel on LinkedIn or learn more about BearingNode's approach to data and analytics transformation at BearingNode.