GDS Data Architecture

About

Data Sharing Principles

Capability Model

Overview

This site contains draft versions of the Future Data Architecture resources.

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 government, alongside a variety of cross-government policy and guidance.

What are the principles?

There are ten cross-government data sharing principles. We can consider these principles in two groups of five.

The first five 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 five and are underpinned by established policy and guidance.

Underneath each principle is a statement of intent, a brief rationale for its inclusion and suggestions for how to exercise the principle in practice.

The ten cross-government data sharing principles are:

What is the scope of the principles?

The principles should help shape public sector data sharing initiatives that involve:

Operational data access: e.g. requesting access to records and receiving event updates.
Analytical data access: e.g. collaborating on data analytics and publishing datasets.
Data linkage: e.g. checking overlap between lists and connecting datasets with common keys.
Data discovery: e.g. 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.
Leaders in strategy-facing roles who do not have data specific job titles.
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.