Every day, experts from NDS member companies collaborate across a diverse landscape of digital platforms. Most users simply log in, join a working group, or access the resources they need. Behind this seemingly effortless experience is a carefully integrated system that connects identities, approvals, platforms, and communication.
At the heart of this environment is the NDS Member Self-Service: one account, one central entry point, and significantly less administration. The solution is neither off-the-shelf software nor a generic supplier portal. It is a custom-built platform developed by the NDS Association specifically for the needs of an international, cross-company community. This gives NDS full control over its processes, features, and future development without depending on proprietary portal providers, rigid licensing models, or external product roadmaps.
Employees of NDS member companies can request their accounts themselves. During registration, they select the company they work for, and the designated company representative automatically receives the request for approval. Once approved, the remaining steps are handled automatically: the applicant is notified, sets an initial password, and receives access to the NDS platform environment. In the background, Keycloak provides centralized identity and access management. This allows the Self-Service to combine a smooth user experience with consistent and controlled account management across the connected systems.
Behind the central account is a powerful digital ecosystem: YouTrack for knowledge management, collaboration, and issue tracking; the documentation platforms for NDS.Classic and NDS.Live; Artifactory for releases and tools; GitHub and Forgejo for source code and reviews; and Github Actions for CI. Communication is integrated as well. Mailman manages the working-group mailing lists and automatically synchronizes them with the group memberships selected in the Self-Service. Keycloak serves as the technical backbone for each user’s digital identity. The Self-Service brings the specialized platforms together into one consistent working environment with one account instead of multiple separate access solutions. Today, the NDS Member Self-Service Portal supports more than 2,000 accounts managed through Keycloak.
Members can join or leave working groups independently. The corresponding Mailman mailing lists are updated automatically at the same time. No duplicate data maintenance, no manual change requests, and no outdated distribution lists. Working-group membership and communication remain reliably aligned. What feels simple to users connects several technical systems and organizational processes behind the scenes.
Large companies often rely on extensive supplier portals. These systems are usually designed for procurement, compliance, and contract management and often come with equally complex processes. The NDS Member Self-Service takes a deliberately different approach. It focuses precisely on what the Association needs: company assignment, controlled approvals, central identities, platform access, working-group management, and automated communication.
As a custom-built system, it can be extended flexibly and adapted precisely to new requirements. NDS retains control over the architecture, priorities, and future development.
In addition to full member access, NDS offers a separate evaluation account for NDS.Live. This allows interested parties to explore and technically evaluate NDS.Live without already working for an NDS member company. The evaluation account does not require approval by a company representative, but it provides limited access and is not intended for commercial use.
This ensures that each target group receives exactly the level of access it needs.
The NDS Member Self-Service automates key processes, connects the NDS platform landscape, and reduces administrative effort. With Keycloak as the central identity platform, Mailman for automated communication, and direct integration with the NDS tools, it delivers a solution that is technically powerful while remaining straightforward to use. As an independent, purpose-built solution, the NDS Member Self-Service demonstrates what modern digital infrastructure can look like: powerful behind the scenes, simple for users, and consistently focused on the needs of the NDS community.
NDS Association always welcomes wider community to joint effort for the future of mapping and navigation standards and encourages new users form member companies use variety of tools available at the NDS Member Self-Service portal.Don’t hesitate to try your best at map data and use perfectly balanced system for your engineering needs.
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