GDS Data Architecture

About

Data Sharing Principles

Capability Model

Overview

Introduction

Better collaborative use of data by public sector organisations is central to the objectives of the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government. However, the role of data in delivering the Blueprint is often implied rather than set out explicitly. The cross-government Data Sharing Principles are intended to bridge the gap between vision and implementation and steer data decision-makers in the public sector to make choices that strategically align with the Blueprint.

The principles also serve as an update and replacement to the Data Sharing Governance Framework which was created in support of the previous government’s National Data Strategy.

The principles are focused on enabling data sharing between organisations. They do not attempt to fully define how data is used; this is driven by operational needs in different parts of the public sector, alongside a variety of cross-government policy and guidance.

What are the principles?

There are nine cross-government data sharing principles.

The first four are directional principles. They are the most novel and specific to public sector data sharing initiatives. These principles align very closely with the priorities of the Blueprint and will require the most additional work to exercise.

The latter five are continuity principles. They are versions of existing technology and data principles tailored to a data sharing context. These principles are as important as the first four and are underpinned by established policy and guidance.

Underneath each principle is a statement of intent, a short justification for its inclusion and suggested ways we can exercise the principle in practice.

The nine cross-government data sharing principles are:

What is the scope of the principles?

Data sharing is the act of making data available to others. Data can be shared externally to other organisations or internally between different parts of the same organisation. The data sharing principles should help shape public sector initiatives that involve:

Operational data access: involves accessing individual records for decision-making purposes.
Analytical data access: involves publishing and applying analytical tools to bulk data.
Events and updates: involves receiving and pushing event information between parties.
Data linkage: involves connecting datasets with common keys.
Data discovery: involves publishing metadata and contributing to data platforms.

Who are the principles for?

The principles are intended to guide strategic decision-makers and enterprise-level leaders working with data across the public sector, including:

Leaders in Data, Digital, Technology, Architecture, Information, Product and Service roles.
Managers of programmes that involve a significant data sharing component.
Third-party contractors undertaking enterprise level data initiatives on behalf of a public sector organisation.

To consider applying these principles in practice, we can think about the responsibilities of three broad groups of data sharing stakeholders. These groups can be loosely mapped to the government’s Data Ownership Model and include:

Data providers: stakeholders who have data assets to share. They share duties with data owners and data stewards.
Data consumers: stakeholders who would like to use the data assets shared by providers. They share duties with data custodians.
Data sharing enablers: stakeholders who help deliver data sharing initiatives, but don’t provide or consume data themselves. They share duties with data stewards.