Engagement — overview
OPDA is convening. Most of the deliverable work — alignment with regulators, scoping with members, resolving disagreements, communicating publicly — happens in a small set of recurring bodies and content channels.
The operational map
flowchart TB
classDef gov fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#1e40af,color:#1e3a8a,stroke-width:2px;
classDef wg fill:#eef4f8,stroke:#1a4d80,color:#0b2545;
classDef pub fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#166534,color:#14532d;
classDef opda fill:#1a4d80,color:#fff,stroke:#0b2545,stroke-width:3px;
DPMSG["DPMSG Steering Group
monthly · 8 meetings on record"]:::gov WGs["6 Working Groups
Steering · Comms & PR · Engagement
Policy · Regulator · Technical"]:::wg Members["OPDA all-member update
monthly Sandbox WG call · 4 transcripts"]:::wg Videos["OPDA YouTube channel
15 videos · ~3 hours"]:::pub SDC["Smart Data Challenge
Moverly + OPDA prize entry"]:::pub OPDA[OPDA]:::opda DPMSG --- WGs OPDA -.leads.-> WGs OPDA -.runs.-> Members OPDA -.publishes.-> Videos OPDA -.entry to.-> SDC
monthly · 8 meetings on record"]:::gov WGs["6 Working Groups
Steering · Comms & PR · Engagement
Policy · Regulator · Technical"]:::wg Members["OPDA all-member update
monthly Sandbox WG call · 4 transcripts"]:::wg Videos["OPDA YouTube channel
15 videos · ~3 hours"]:::pub SDC["Smart Data Challenge
Moverly + OPDA prize entry"]:::pub OPDA[OPDA]:::opda DPMSG --- WGs OPDA -.leads.-> WGs OPDA -.runs.-> Members OPDA -.publishes.-> Videos OPDA -.entry to.-> SDC
DPMSG is the senior coordination forum. OPDA leads four of its six working groups.
Member updates and the YouTube channel are OPDA's own communication surfaces.
What happens, when
| Body | Cadence | Audience | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| DPMSG Steering Group | Monthly | HMLR + 13 founding members | Meeting packs, minutes, formal decisions. Archive: source/04-governance-bodies/steering-group/materials/ |
| Working Groups | Working — varies | Subject-matter experts from members | Deliverables fed into Steering: standards, comms, policy, regulator engagement, technical specs. |
| OPDA all-member update | Monthly (Sandbox WG) | All OPDA members + observers | 4 transcribed sessions Feb–May 2026. PDF decks under source/04-governance-bodies/working-groups/engagement/ |
| YouTube channel | Ad-hoc | Public | 15 videos to date — schema explainer, accreditation walkthrough, vision pieces. Catalogue. |
| Smart Data Challenge | One-off (2024–25) | DBT panel | SDCP Innovators prize. Prize entry + post-win briefing video. |
| Consumer survey + campaign | 2025 | Public, regulators | Research used in policy submissions. source/06-research/consumer-survey/ |
How a new participant engages
- Read the OPDA About us and the Code of Conduct.
- Join an all-member update (see Meetings & decisions) — recorded, open to members.
- Pick a working group — see DPMSG working groups for the six current ones.
- Apply for the Sandbox via the published cohort process — see
Introduction-to-the-Sandbox-Setup-Guide.pdf. - Watch the video library for the 1.5 hour induction — see Video library.