Leveraging Data Ecosystems in Model-Based Systems Engineering for Ecological, Circular Added Value

<jats:p>There are numerous initiatives and lighthouse projects around Gaia-X to create the basics of open, trustworthy data ecosystems. One of the challenges in building these data ecosystems is to convince everyone involved of the advantages of multilateral data sharing. A prerequisite is also a common understanding of the rights of use and access to the data. Data sovereignty means that the data provider decides which data with which usage and access rights he wants to make accessible to which user group. Standardised digital representations by, for instance, the Asset Administration Shell (AAS enable creation of such data ecosystems, interlinking the physical and digital space. In the paper at hand, a conceptual approach named Decide4Eco is presented with the aim to enable systematic and flexible decision-making support for product planning and development concerning the sustainability of a product and the entire value chain. Methods of sustainability assessment are expanded to include predictive AI-based effects analyses.</jats:p>