Governance

Governance is one of the four pillars, or areas of assessment, of the Global Data Barometer and will be examined as a core module given its foundational importance across all aspects of data activity.

Effective governance of data for the public good involves developing and implementing rules, processes, and structures to ensure that data is reliable, trustworthy, and comprehensive. It is also critical to ensure that sensitive data is protected, while non-personal datasets are shared or opened for re-use.

This section includes a number of country-level data governance indicators on the presence of regulatory regimes for data protection, right to information, and right to data, as well as identifying emerging frameworks for data sharing.

In addition, we have ecosystem-specific governance indicators located within the different thematic modules covered in the Barometer. These indicators will explore the extent to which the collection, sharing, and secure management of specific datasets are safeguarded and optimised through laws, regulations, policies, infrastructure, and guidance.

To find out more about the development of this core module, you can consult our research handbook.

Governance indicators

Data Protection

To what extent do relevant laws, regulations, policies, and guidance provide a comprehensive framework for protection of personal data?
Existence
  • What is the nature of the framework?
    • No framework exists.
    • A framework exists but lacks full force of law.
    • A framework exists and has the force of law.
Elements
Rights and responsibilities:
  • The framework provides data subjects with rights of choice or consent. (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework provides data subjects with rights to access and correct data about themselves. (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework sets out clear responsibilities for data holders. (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework provides rights of redress (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework requires data controllers to notify an appropriate authority of data breaches. (No, Partially, Yes)
Specific considerations:
  • Frameworks explicitly cover the protection of location-related data. (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework addresses algorithmic decision making. (No, Partially, Yes)
Negative scoring:
  • Exceptions to the usual data protection framework have been made as part of the country’s COVID-19 response. (No, Partially, Yes)
Extent
  • How broadly does this data protection framework apply?
    • The framework only applies in a narrow set of situations.
    • The framework applies widely in one or more sectors.
    • The framework applies widely across all sectors (including public and private sector).
  • Does this framework apply across the whole country?
    • The framework assessed applies only to one sub-national region or city.
    • The framework assessed relates to one sub-national region or city, but is representative of the kind of framework that exists for most regions or cities.
    • The framework assessed, or equivalent frameworks, apply across the whole country.

Open Data Policy

To what extent do relevant laws, regulations, policies, and guidance provide a comprehensive framework for generating and publishing open data?
Existence
  • What is the nature of the framework?
    • No framework exists.
    • A framework exists but lacks full force of law.
    • A framework exists and has the force of law.
Elements
Rights and responsibilities:
  • The framework establishes a common definition of open data.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework promotes open licensing without any restrictions beyond attribution and share-alike.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework requires to publish data in machine readable formats.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The rules/guidance requires the use of specific data standards.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
Specific considerations:
  • The framework promotes training and capacity building among government officials.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
Extent
  • How widely do these laws, regulations, policies or guidance apply?
    • The laws, policies and guidance assessed cover a limited number of localities or government agencies.
    • The relevant laws, policies and guidance assessed cover, or are representative of those covering, many localities or government agencies.
    • The relevant laws, policies and guidance assessed cover the majority of localities and government agencies.

Data Sharing Frameworks

To what extent do relevant laws, regulations, policies, and guidance provide a comprehensive framework for data sharing?
Existence
  • What is the nature of the framework?
    • No framework exists.
    • A framework exists but lacks full force of law.
    • A framework exists and has the force of law.
Elements
Rights and responsibilities:
  • The framework covers data sharing within government.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework covers how government should share data with other sectors.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework covers data sharing from other sectors to government.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework covers data sharing within the private sector.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
Specific considerations:
  • The framework explicitly focuses on artificial intelligence uses of data.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
Extent
  • How broad is the coverage of legal or policy frameworks for data sharing for the public good?
    • The framework assessed covers a very limited number of government agencies or themes, and no other relevant frameworks could be located.
    • The framework assessed covers a limited number of government agencies or themes, but there are other similar examples covering different agencies and themes.
    • The framework assessed covers a substantial number of government agencies or themes.
    • The framework assessed covers all government agencies, and many themes.
  • How comprehensive, in terms of jurisdiction, is the coverage of the laws, regulations, policies, or guidance assessed for this question?
    • They cover one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such rules/guidance, or with rules or guidance of a lesser quality.
    • They cover one or more localities and are a representative example of the kind of rules/guidance that can be found for all, or most, localities.
    • They provide national coverage.

Data Management

To what extent do relevant laws, regulations, policies, and guidance provide a comprehensive framework for consistent data management and publication?
Existence
  • What is the nature of the framework?
    • No framework exists.
    • A framework exists but lacks full force of law.
    • A framework exists and has the force of law.
Elements
Rights and responsibilities:
  • There are minimum standards for metadata when government data is catalogued or published.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • There is a standardised process for publishing and updating published government data.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • There are technical standards, including common data models, codelists, and identifiers for management and publication of government data.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • There are clearly documented quality control processes for government data.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • There are clearly documented processes for soliciting and integrating feedback from external users to improve data quality.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
Extent
  • How broadly is good data management practice established?
    • The data management approaches assessed apply to a limited number of departments or localities.
    • The data management approaches assessed apply to a limited number of departments or localities, but similar approaches are present across much of the public sector.
    • The data management approaches assessed generally apply across the whole public sector.

Language Coverage & Data

To what extent do relevant laws, regulations, policies, and guidance require that data collection and publication processes be available in the country’s official or national languages? If the country has no official or national languages, are these processes available in the languages used in the country?
Existence
  • What is the nature of the framework?
    • No framework exists.
    • A framework exists but lacks full force of law.
    • A framework exists and has the force of law.
  • Where does this requirement exist?
    • It does not exist.
    • There is a broader framework which can be presumed to apply to data.
    • There is either a dedicated framework for language coverage related to data or a framework that includes specific provisions related to language coverage and data.
Elements
Provisions for data quality:
  • The rules/guidance empower an agency or official to ensure the accurate and timely collection and publication of required data.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
  • The framework requires a verification process.
    • (No, Partially, Yes)
Extent
  • How comprehensive, in terms of jurisdiction, is the coverage of the laws, regulations, policies, or guidance assessed for this question?
    • They cover one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such rules/guidance, or with rules or guidance of a lesser quality.
    • They cover one or more localities and are a representative example of the kind of rules/guidance that can be found for all, or most, localities.
    • They provide national coverage.

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