The Role of Data Governance to Relieve Information Sharing Impairments in the Federal Government

The technical mechanics of data sharing, particularly as related to metadata, has been reasonably well researched and to an extent is reaching technical maturity. The Federal Government Departments and Agencies have, to one degree or another, adopted methodologies to organizationally frame their internal use of metadata. However there is evidence to suggest that the Federal Government has not been entirely successful in taking the necessary next steps to build a metadata governance model. One of the presumed impairments to this effort is that a mature metadata governance framework may be perceived as posing a threat to organizational and personal equities within government. This paper will examine from an organizational perspective this presumed impairment and provide a level of analysis as to relevant factors. Finally, it will examine potential data sharing governance policy changes that may be necessary to enable effective use of metadata in information sharing.