GDS Data Architecture
Data Sharing Principles
- Overview
- 1. Treat data as an asset
- 2. Federate first
- 3. Prepare for Once Only
- 4. Reuse sharing solutions
- 5. Support automation
- 6. Design for all data stakeholders
- 7. Use common standards for sharing
- 8. Share data transparently
- 9. Share data lawfully and ethically
- 10. Secure shared data proportionately
Capability Model
1. Treat data as an asset
Statement
We make decisions about data based on its value to our organisation as well as its wider public value.
Why does this matter?
Data has value. We can take it for granted, but as the public sector modernises, data increasingly underpins the ways that we serve the public. At the core of any data-driven public service is data management: the practice of handling data assets throughout their lifecycle.
Moreover, public sector data also has value beyond the organisation that holds it. Lying dormant in our data assets are insights for researchers, analysts, policymakers and front-line administrators across the UK. To discover and take full advantage of data sharing opportunities, we must start by shifting the way we think about data: not as a means to an end, but as a versatile organisational asset. Over time, a more expansive appreciation of data should embody itself in a lively culture of digital collaboration and in new data management practices. These practices will help improve the timeliness and efficacy with which we can harness data to create public value.
How do we do this?
Relevant work in progress:
- Government Digital and Data Framework
- Data Management Professional Organisation (DAMA) Guidance
- Catalogue Guidance and Case Studies
Overall, we should invest time and resources into building data management understanding, skills and programmes that will help generate public value.