Data management, collection and use: strategic action plan

Introduction: Meeting our Data Vision

" Scotland's Digital Future: Delivery of Public Services" identifies effective management of data as one of four themes in the digital enablement of public services. The Data Management Board oversees achievement of this objective. The Board has set out its Data Vision for 2020. This states:

"Our objective is to champion, and unleash across Scotland, trustworthy uses of data for public benefit. In doing so we wish all involved to maintain and enhance Scotland's reputation for the safe, secure and transparent use of data; rapidly translating our strengths into benefits for citizens, businesses and communities, locally and globally.

The Vision sets and expands on 10 guiding principles.

The Data Vision recognises that high quality, relevant and timely data is essential to providing public services which are responsive to the needs of the user, embody a preventative approach and are resource-efficient. Access to open data, expanded analytical capacity and the need and ability to share data will support innovation that re-engineers public service delivery at both a national and local level. Public sector data is also a valuable asset more generally, with substantial benefits still be to be realised from data as an input to new products and services which will support productivity and jobs growth.

The Strategic Action Plan aims to inspire and drive decision makers to engage with purpose and ambition to meet the Data Vision. Public trust in the use of data is integral to delivering the Data Vision.

The plan has been developed with, and for, the Scottish public sector and its partners across the wider data community. It will be implemented within a legislative framework: the Data Protection Act, the EU INSPIRE Directive which establishes an infrastructure for spatial information and the EU Directive on the re-use of Public Sector Information ( PSI Directive). It also delivers under the Information Commissioner's Office ( ICO) Data Sharing Code Practice, which applies to public, private and third sector organisations. It will be reviewed and updated annually.

A wide range of partners need to support delivery against this plan: those designing and delivering public services including the third sector, research institutions, the business community and the users of services themselves. In planning for delivery we have sought to identify those actions:

Our actions must have impact and deliver benefits. The Digital Public Services Measurements and Benefits Framework will help us assess this. The Framework contains 16 measures which provide coverage of the main benefits which Scotland's Digital Public Services Strategy aims to achieve. Measures relevant to this Plan are:

• Our Public bodies are sharing more data to help improve the quality and effectiveness of their services (Benefit 12, baseline results published Jan 2015)
• More Open Data sets are available for use by our citizens, businesses and research organisations (Benefit 7 - data collection and reporting during 2015)

The Action Plan will be developed in response to evidence drawn from the Measurements and Benefits Framework.

The Action Plan is broken down into 2 sections.

Section 1: The policy narrative, which identifies specific data themes, and the key actions for these which need to be undertaken in the short to medium term to pursue these. (Actions for the longer term will be identified and added). Case studies are referenced throughout, highlighting current and emerging good practice across Scotland. The Plan should be a catalyst for cross-fertilising progressive thinking and approaches across the data themes. The annual review of the Plan will allow further case studies to be identified, building up a portfolio of evidence of culture and practice change across Scotland.

Section 2: Signposts to supporting resources and provides clarity on ownership of actions and a delivery schedule which tracks progress towards implementing the Data Vision by 2020 and beyond.