U.S. Department of Agriculture
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USDA Data Management Program - Overview
Data Management
Data managment lays the foundation for information systems that
provide managers with the leading edge for decision-making and
better, more timely service to the customer. It includes:
- Development and coordination of policies, procedures, and
standards for the management of data.
- Development of strategic and tactical plans, including an data
architecture coordinated with business processes.
- Development of data respositories; logical and physical models;
and data warehouses.
- Development of performance measures.
- Administration of databases.
- Administration of training programs beginning with data
management awareness to highly technical subject matter.
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Data versus Information
Data are the building blocks of information. Data consist of
symbols representing specific things, values, or ideas which, when
interpreted or analyzed, convey meaningful information.
Data resources, like personnel and allocated dollars, have
strategic value. How data are collected and stored effects its
usability. Managers need reliable, accurate, and timely data to
produce information that will leverage their decision making.
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Benefits of the USDA Data Management Program
- Promotes data sharing.
- Ensures that data collected and disseminated meet programmatic,
privacy, security, and oversight requirements, particularly in
sharing and reuse of data between agencies.
- Leverages management decision-making by providing better access
to more accurate and timely data.
- Avoids the cost of redundant data collection.
- Ensures acquisition related to data management is carried out
efficiently in terms of cost, need, and use throughtout USDA.
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USDA Data Management Accomplishments
- Issued DR 3400-4, USDA Data Administration Policy.
- Established an interagency data management council.
- Developed USDA Information Management Process Model.
- Published USDA Data Elements Standards Manual.
- Issued a report on data repositories.
- Published a brochure on the USDA Data Management Program.
- Published "A Business Plan for Data Management in USDA," a high
level strategic plan.
- Published performance measurements for the USDA Data Management
Program.
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Work in Process
- A High-level Tactical Plan for Data Management.
- A proof-of-concept data architecture.
The data architecture initiative is being sponsored by the
USDA IRM Modernization
Project. Known as the Business/Data
Architecture, the initiative developed from work documented in the draft data management tactical plan. Although the proof-of-concept initiative is different in its approach from the
enterprise business architecture outlined in the draft tactical plan for data management, it was this work that persuaded the USDA IRM Council to fund the data architecture initiative.
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How Each USDA Mission Area Can Support this Program
- Recognize and promote data as a strategic resource.
- Provide training to staff about the value of data management
programs within the individual agencies and at the Department
level.
- Support data management in the context of business process
improvement and life cycle management of information systems.
- Ensure representation on the USDA Data Management Sub-Council.
- Work in partnership with the Information Management Division of
the Office of the Chief Information Officer.
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For More Information
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Chief Information Officer - IMD
1400 Independence Avenue, SW, #404-W
Washington, DC 20250-7602
(202) 690-2118
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