The question I hear most from governments already running a DPG isn't about that DPG. It's: "What else fits with it?"
That's the right question. The real value of digital public goods shows up when they work together.
The short answer: digital public goods work together through open standards and published APIs, so each one can do its own job and share data with the others. A typical stack pairs a civil registration DPG like OpenCRVS with an identity platform like MOSIP, a health information system like DHIS2 and a social protection platform like OpenSPP or OpenG2P. Many of these integrations are already built and documented, so countries can deploy DPGs together or one after another without starting integration from scratch.
Key facts:
- A stack of interoperable DPGs can come together to build DPI, for example through G2P Connect for social benefits (CDPI)
- OpenCRVS exposes a FHIR standard API and has documented integrations with MOSIP, DHIS2 and OpenSPP (OpenCRVS)
- The DPGA's DPG for DPI collection groups DPGs by ID, payments, data exchange and foundational registries (DPGA)
What a DPG stack looks like
| Job | Example DPG | What it shares with the others |
|---|---|---|
| Civil registration | OpenCRVS | Births and deaths, as the root of identity and vital statistics |
| Identity | MOSIP | A unique ID, authentication, identity verification |
| Health information | DHIS2 | Birth and death notifications from facilities, health data |
| Social protection | OpenSPP, OpenG2P | Eligibility and payments based on verified records |
| Payments | Mojaloop | Interoperable transfers |
| Data exchange | X-Road | Secure messaging between systems |
No country needs all of these on day one. Most start with one or two and add more as the rails mature.
How they actually connect
The glue is open standards. Taking OpenCRVS as the example I know best, its interoperability roadmap documents:
- Health: integration with DHIS2 for event notifications from hospitals, first used in the Bangladesh pilot
- Identity: birth and death registration integration with MOSIP, plus national ID authentication through MOSIP's E-Signet
- Social protection: integration with OpenSPP, and work on the G2P Connect protocol
- Standards: a FHIR API and webhooks so other systems can subscribe to events
The practical result is a chain. A birth notified by a health facility gets registered, triggers a unique ID, and can make a child visible to social protection, without anyone re-keying data.
Why this matters for governments
Speed. A lot of the heavy lifting has already been done. When integrations between DPGs exist and are documented, a government can slot components together far faster than commissioning custom connectors.
Flexibility. You can deploy in combination or in sequence. Start with civil registration, add identity next year, connect social protection after that.
No lock-in across the stack. Each component is open and replaceable, and open standards mean you can swap one without rebuilding the others.
My take: this is the underrated advantage of the DPG ecosystem. Any single DPG is good. A set of DPGs that already talk to each other is something no single proprietary vendor can easily match.
What to watch out for
- Versions. Integrations are built against specific versions. Keep components reasonably current.
- Ownership. Each connection crosses ministries. Agree who owns the interface and who fixes it when it breaks.
- Data governance. Sharing between systems needs clear legal basis, consent rules and audit trails.
Frequently asked questions
Do MOSIP and OpenCRVS work together? Yes. OpenCRVS has documented integrations with MOSIP covering birth and death registration and national ID authentication.
Can DHIS2 connect to civil registration? Yes. OpenCRVS integrated with DHIS2 for hospital event notifications in its Bangladesh pilot.
Do we need to deploy all DPGs at once? No. Most countries start with one or two and add others over time.
What standards do DPGs use to interoperate? Commonly open APIs and health data standards such as FHIR, with webhooks and shared protocols like G2P Connect.
Sources
- Interoperability roadmap, OpenCRVS documentation
- DPG and DPI, Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure
- DPGs for DPI collection, Digital Public Goods Alliance
Designing a DPG stack for your country? Let's talk.
