What is GIS Data Custodianship?
Custodianship refers to being ownership, and in this context refers to main responsibility.
The most success we’ve found, is by assigning custodianship to each dataset.
This could either be an individual or an entire department, but we prefer a single role so it’s clear who is ultimately accountable. For example, exploration related datasets can be assigned to the geologist team lead.
The most important function is that this role is accountable for making sure the data is collected to fit the purpose. We like to assign to the role most likely to benefit from the dataset Custodianship.
Ideally we setup a RACI for each spatial dataset:
- Responsible (R): This person is responsible for completing the task or deliverable. They are the ones who actually do the work and ensure that it is completed on time and to the required standard.
- Accountable (A): This person is accountable for the success of the task or deliverable. They are the ones who make the final decisions and are ultimately responsible for the outcome.
- Consulted (C): This person needs to be consulted for input on the task or deliverable. They may provide subject matter expertise or have valuable insights that can help inform the work.
- Informed (I): This person needs to be kept informed of the progress of the task or deliverable. They may not be directly involved in the work, but they need to be aware of what is happening.
Depending on your team structure and organisational capability, it may not be necessary for the data custodian role to have the necessary skills and resources to handle all aspects of data management from ingesting new datasets to updating existing ones. Or the responsible and accountable could be the same role. That could be assigned to a GIS capable function. MJA Maps can help you setup Data Custodianship across all or just key datasets, we can manage the data for you, or we can setup the key processes and governance for your team to manage with our training.