Governance

What is data governance?

Data governance is the framework of policies, roles, responsibilities, and processes that ensure the effective management, quality, security, and ethical use of data across its lifecycle. It defines who can take what actions with what data, when, under what circumstances, and using what methods.

Why is data governance important?

Effective data governance is crucial for:

• Ensuring data quality, consistency, and integrity
• Protecting sensitive and personal data
• Complying with legal, regulatory, and ethical requirements
• Defining clear roles and responsibilities for data stewardship
• Supporting transparency and accountability in data use
• Enabling data sharing and reuse in line with FAIR principles
• Reducing risks related to data misuse, breaches, or loss Without governance, data management can become fragmented, inconsistent, and non-compliant.

What should be considered for data governance?

To ensure best practices and adherence to FAIR principles in data governance, consider the following:

• Policies and Standards: Develop and enforce clear data policies, standards, and guidelines.
• Roles and Responsibilities: Assign data stewards, owners, and custodians with defined duties.
• Compliance: Monitor and ensure adherence to legal, regulatory, and ethical requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).
• Data Quality: Establish processes for data validation, quality control, and continuous improvement.
• Access Control: Define and implement rules for data access, sharing, and retention.
• Transparency: Document governance processes and make them accessible to stakeholders.
• Training: Provide ongoing education on data governance and FAIR principles.
• FAIR Principles: Ensure governance supports data that is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable.
• Monitoring and Review: Regularly assess governance effectiveness and update policies as needed.

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