The document discusses the Open Data Protocol (OData), which is an open specification that allows the creation of REST-based data services that support built-in operations like CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) and querying capabilities. OData builds on fundamental web standards like HTTP, URI conventions, and XML or JSON for payloads to define a protocol that can be used for exposing and consuming data across systems via REST. The specification also covers addressing schemes, payloads, metadata, batching requests, and how OData can be implemented using technologies like WCF Data Services.