Data Governance

Data Governance means implementing a process of control over your GIS, including applications and infrastructure, data, personnel, and capital. Without effective governance, an enterprise-level GIS can spiral out of control, resulting in unorganized applications, duplication of data and efforts, and a lack of direction for the organization.

Effective data governance specifies decisions that need to be made regarding an organization’s GIS as well as who will make those decisions and how those processes will be executed.

Effective governance ensures both accountability and organization to maintain an efficient GIS and processes to ensure growth and sustainment into the future. Governance is all about setting a course for the future and building a system to manage and enforce that direction. While establishing a GIS Steering Committee and / or creating a Strategic Plan can help to define and accomplish organizational direction, a clear and concise Data Governance Plan will outline specific goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), structured activities, roles and responsibilities, as well as policies and procedures for moving the GIS forward.

There are many details surrounding a GIS and an effective Governance Plan will address these concerns at multiple levels, from broad to granular. The goal is to build and maintain a structure for the advancement of the GIS that is broad enough to respond to emerging technological trends while being specific enough to address relevant details in the data, applications, staff, and underlying business processes driving the evolution of the GIS at your organization.

At present, many organizations are tasked with maintaining mature Geographic Information Systems as well as supporting expanding requests for future growth. This half-day workshop will discuss proven approaches that can be taken to implement an effective GIS Governance Plan for organizations of all sizes.

Topics to be Included:

• Why is GIS Governance Needed? Learn how to curb the chaos and scale GIS into the future.

• Enterprise Geodatabase Governance: Apply best GIS data management practices to support disparate editors, manage versions, and business needs.

• Stick to Standards: Apply standard naming conventions from the database to Portal and AGO content management.

• How to implement successful Data and Application Change Management processes: Learn a simple approach for managing ongoing growth.

Duration: 4 hours

Presenters: Kent Rothrock and Laura Wilson (Avineon)

Host or Publisher Carolina URISA