Goals of Data Management

​​​​​​​"If a biologist counts a bird, and no one knows, does it really count?"

To make data count, data must go beyond its immediate need. Staff must take additional steps to preserve data in a useful form and make it accessible and discoverable far into the future. This is data management.

Data management = the practice and process of making data into a valuable asset. It includes various workflows and tools to collect, prepare, cleanse, access, integrate, and store data.

Data management consists of the practices, architectural techniques, and tools for achieving consistent access to and delivery of data across the spectrum of data subject areas and data structure types within the Service enterprise, to meet the data consumption requirements of all applications and business processes.

Goals of data management include:

• Make data, documents, and software freely and openly available for conservation use or research, online when possible, with visual and geographical representation as appropriate.

• Publish complete, high quality metadata for each dataset in a standardized format.

• Include valuable existing and legacy data into the curation process whenever appropriate.

• Deliver high-integrity data in open and documented formats, in standard vocabularies for optimal usability and compatibility.

• Securely archive data into the future.

• Aggregate searchable metadata linked to online and offline sources.

• Provide for coordinated development, discovery, and use of systems for achieving the above.

“Doing what we’ve always done is another sign of insanity in a changing environment.” — Craig Fugate, former FEMA administrator.

What can improving your data management skills do for you?

Increase your productivity!

You are already managing your data in some form. Improving your skills can increase your productivity and can also improve your project management.

Improve decision making for the Service!

The data we acquire, maintain, and analyze are important assets that advance the Service’s mission. Making decisions based on defensible, high-quality data improves our conservation outcomes, as well as the Service’s scientific credibility. Data exchange among the scientific, resource management, and conservation communities is essential to achieving our shared conservation goals.

Save time and resources!

Properly managing data reduces time and resources on duplication. Sharing data increases efficiency and enables collaboration across the Service.

Service policy supports data management!

Data management in the Service have long been led by grassroots efforts from staff who recognize the benefits of improving our data management system (much of this came from the Alaska Region!). Recent policies have led to the creation of the Service's National Data Initiative, which requires that data is documented, shared, and archived accordingly AND has devoted resources to support training and tools to help you more effectively manage your data. The OPEN data Act now requires it!

Leave your mark in Service history!

Much of your work is connected to the data that you collect and analyze. Documenting and archiving this data and its collection methods allows others to re-use and apply your data to future studies. Your data citations are trackable too, with the use of persistent identifiers.

What can you do for data management?

You're already on your way to helping improve the Service's data management by using this guide. It is designed to be the primary data management resource for you and to include something about everything from the data management lifecycle, tools and even policies. If you want even more, join the national and regional communities to stay in the ‘know’.

See the FWS Data Management SharePoint Page for more.