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Army Data Strategy

Monday, March 14, 2016

Provided by Army CIO-G6

What is it?

The Army Data Strategy provides the framework for how data is stored, moved across network architectures and shared between the Army and unified action partners across all echelons and environments. It takes an evolutionary approach, focusing on the data rather than individual systems or communications networks.

The data strategy contains five objectives (VAUTI) to make data:

  • Visible - by posting them to shared spaces and registering metadata related to structure and definition
  • Accessible - to authorized users through those shared spaces and data services. Access will be controlled in accordance with the asset’s security-related metadata
  • Understandable - by creating data models, integrating data and identifying requirements for information traceability
  • Trusted - by identifying authoritative sources and making data storage and access secure
  • Interoperable - by complying with information exchange specifications and establishing master data management and unique identifiers, which will allow the same data to be used across multiple systems and applications

What has the Army done?

The Army is in the process of addressing the physical challenges to achieving VAUTI by:

  • Increasing the capacity (bandwidth) of both the network backbone and individual installations
  • Improving transmission speed and traffic management
  • Building a global cloud computing infrastructure

The Army Information Architecture provides enterprise-level design and development guidance for implementing the data strategy. Army organizations are identifying data needs and authoritative data sources to help make data visible, accessible and trusted.

What does the Army have planned for the future?

The Army Data Management Program will drive data strategy implementation by providing critical details and standards for data quality, master data, data analytics and data management specifications. Additionally, the future Common Operating Environment Data Foundation will define the common information used by IT systems in all mission areas and the procedures for sharing data among different formats to help developers achieve interoperability across computing environments.

Why is this important to the Army?

Information drives all decision making, on the battlefield and off. Only when data is visible, accessible, understandable, trusted and interoperable can Soldiers, commanders and national leaders develop and execute the most effective courses of action. The Army Data Strategy will ensure secure, relevant information exchange across the network between authorized users anytime and anywhere. Further, the established data management practices and technologies will lead to future capabilities, such as data integration, protection and auditing, real-time analytics, enterprise discovery and rapid solution development.

Resources:

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