What is MARIJ?
MARIJ stands for Modelarchitectuur Rijksdienst (Model Architecture for Central Government) and is the reference architecture for Dutch central government bodies. It provides a common framework for organising the information landscape within ministries and executive agencies, in line with the national frameworks set out in NORA.
MARIJ helps central government bodies digitalise consistently, coherently, securely and reusably — both within and across organisations.
🧠 Aim of MARIJ
| Objective | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Uniformity and coherence | Promotes architectural alignment within and across central government bodies |
| Standardisation | Supports the reuse of processes, data and systems |
| Alignment with NORA | Builds on the principles and models of NORA |
| Support for policy goals | Connects strategic objectives with the IT/IM landscape |
🧱 Structure of MARIJ
MARIJ is organised around several architectural layers:
| Architectural layer | Description |
|---|---|
| Principles | Derived from NORA, adapted for central government practice |
| Information architecture | Models for concepts, data, processes and chains |
| Application architecture | Description of functions and applications within domains |
| Technical architecture | Infrastructure, networks, security, standards |
| Governance | Roles, decision-making, governance model, architecture board |
🏛 MARIJ in central government practice
MARIJ is applied at, among others:
- Ministries (Interior, Infrastructure & Water, Defence, Justice, etc.)
- Central government services (such as Rijkswaterstaat, ILT, the Tax Administration)
- Executive agencies (such as RVO, IND, CJIB)
MARIJ provides a shared starting point for projects, programmes and sourcing within central government.
🔗 Relationship to other architectures
| Architecture | Relationship to MARIJ |
|---|---|
| NORA | MARIJ is the central government sector architecture based on NORA principles |
| GEMMA | The municipal variant — collaboration is required for chain services |
| WILMA | Used by water authorities — comparable in structure and goals |
| PETRA | Provincial model architecture |
🏗️ MARIJ and OT: the central government dimension
Although MARIJ is primarily focused on IT, OT is an increasingly visible factor at central government bodies such as:
| Organisation | OT applications |
|---|---|
| Rijkswaterstaat | Bridges, locks, tunnels, sensors, traffic management |
| Defence | Embedded systems, field equipment, vehicle systems |
| Inspection bodies | Use of drones, measurement equipment, enforcement devices |
Architecture at central government level must therefore also take IT-OT integration, security (IEC 62443) and lifecycle management of embedded systems into account.
🔐 MARIJ and security
- Aligns with the BIO and Security by Design
- Provides frameworks for logging, access management, encryption and network segmentation
- Applicable to both back-office and OT systems (e.g. flood defences or traffic infrastructure)
📌 In summary
MARIJ is the central-government translation of NORA, specifically for ministries and executive agencies. It provides structure and guidance for digitalisation initiatives and bridges policy, IT and, where required, OT applications.