In 2019, Fisheries and Oceans Canada developed its first Data Strategy. The Strategy was in response to the Government of Canada's priorities to maximize the public value of data and information as strategic assets. Fifty commitments were identified that the Department could implement to improve data management so that departmental data would be more available and reusable for decision-making and to achieve results for Canadians.

Since the adoption of the Data Strategy, an important observation has been that departmental data is largely unmanaged, i.e., not managed by IT systems nor by staff with assigned roles. Much of the departmental data exists outside of systems, as science data, as information about regulatory activities, or collected through direct engagements with clients. Before progress can be made on making data more available, the Department has needed to focus on understanding and managing its data at source and ensuring data is fit for purpose for the original business needs.

This case study will examine DFO`s approach to its data strategy, discuss lessons learned, and offer insights into potential differences between the needs of public and private sector data strategies that can create pitfalls for government organizations.

Speaker: David Collister

Manager, Data Governance, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

David Collister is an accomplished and forward-thinking leader with a prolific career encompassing two decades as a public servant and a myriad of organizational contexts, mission-critical endeavors, and progressively prominent roles. He is responsible for developing and providing leadership on the Data Strategy for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, a large science, regulatory, and service delivery department within the Government of Canada. Key accomplishments include establishing organizational frameworks for data governance, data quality, ethical data use, data literacy, competencies, and the Department's first AI strategy.