Federal Data Strategy

Background What is the Purpose of the Federal Data Strategy? The use of data is transforming the world. The way the Federal Government provides, maintains, and uses data has a unique place in society, and maintaining trust in Federal data is pivotal to a democratic process. To meet the changing role of data and needs of democracy, the Federal Government created a coordinated and integrated data strategy that better enables data to deliver on mission, serve the public, and steward resources while respecting privacy and confidentiality. The mission of the Federal Data Strategy is to fully leverage the value of federal data for mission, service, and the public good by guiding the Federal Government in practicing ethical governance, conscious design, and a learning culture. The Federal Data Strategy, which comprises the Mission Statement, Principles, and Practices, provides a whole-of-government vision and offers guidance on how agencies should manage and use Federal data. Annual Government-wide Action Plans identify concrete steps for agencies in a given year, to achieve the long-term vision. The Federal Data Strategy is designed to derive value from data while supporting robust data governance and protecting security, privacy, and confidentiality. How was the Federal Data Strategy Initiated? In March 2018, the President’s Management Agenda laid out a new Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal: Leveraging Data as a Strategic Asset to develop and implement a comprehensive Federal Data Strategy. Based on this initiative, with input from the full spectrum of government and non-government stakeholders, the first government-wide data strategy has been developed, along with the 2020 Action Plan for implementation. Who Developed the Federal Data Strategy? While the CAP goal co-leads and a cross-agency development team have managed the project, the Federal Data Strategy and the 2020 Action Plan was built on the expertise and input of those who contributed ideas, examples, comments, and suggestions in response to several requests for stakeholder input. The Federal Data Strategy was developed iteratively. A team of 57 members from across the Federal Government, representing 23 agencies, drafted the Federal Data Strategy and 2020 Action Plan. As drafts were created, the team actively sought and incorporated feedback from Federal employees and the public through a series of requests for comments, Federal Forums, and Public Forums.