22 3.2 CONSIDERATIONS FOR DIGITAL DATA GOVERNANCE Myanmar needs a clear digital data governance policy that is shared and understood by all ministries and departments across all administrative levels. Core policy elements such as data sharing, data security, and privacy policies should be clearly defined and broadly shared and accepted. It is important that these policies be effectively communicated to, and understood by, those at the township level as well as their Union-level counterparts. Digital data solutions developed in the absence of a clear policy framework can easily be rendered obsolete by future policies, wasting previous investments or generating costly, additional work to make solutions compliant. Suitable quality standards for digital data should be developed, and metrics and terminology should be standardized. Data-quality must be assessed and ensured by the application of clearly understood standards. Data-quality assessments should become routine, and methodological support should be provided for township-level data collection and data review. The standardization of metrics and terminology across departments and ministries, with clear, publicly available definitions, will maximize the utility of data sharing and reduce the likelihood of redundant or conflicting data collection. In Myanmar, it is likely that the CSO, which already plays a leading role in data governance, will be responsible for data standardization. Many countries have agencies responsible for ensuring the integrity of statistics that could serve as models for Myanmar (see box E).42 Clear policies and procedures should be developed to support interdepartmental digital data sharing. As noted in chapter 2, the ability of township administrations (and state/region and Union governments, at higher levels) to respond to complex social problems faced by communities and their members will depend on the ability of administrators to work across departments, share information, develop shared understandings of issues, and coordinate responses. To do this, clearer-data sharing policies and procedures will need to be developed. More effective data sharing will also reduce duplication of effort, lightening the burden of data collection on individual departments. Appropriate data-access protocols and datasecurity systems should be developed to ensure the security of government data and to protect people’s privacy. The ease of access offered by technology needs to be carefully managed to ensure that government data is stored securely and cannot be lost or stolen, and to ensure that the privacy of personal data is maintained. International standards43 exist that set out clear guidelines that can be used by governments to establish, implement, maintain, and improve information-security management systems and manage information security risks. The standards focus on ensuring the preservation of confidentiality (information is accessible only to those with authorized access), integrity (safeguarding the accuracy and completeness of data), and availability (ensuring that authorized users have access to information). These standards promote the systematic examination of information security, instead of piecemeal approaches that may vary among ministries, departments, or projects. As the government collects more personal data digitally, ensuring its confidentiality and security will become increasingly important. BOX E The UK’s Office for National Statistics The UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating statistics about the UK’s economy, society, and population. The ONS releases over 600 statistical publications a year. In addition to its role in the collection and publication of national statistics, the ONS offers a Methodology Advisory Service that provides advice, guidance, and support to the public sector on statistical and survey methodology, including: z methodological advice on production and analysis of data z development of surveys or outputs z quality assurance of methods or outputs z cross-cutting reviews of processes and methods across a department’s statistical work z evaluation of competing sources The Methodology Advisory Service could be a useful model for how Myanmar can support the work of departments and ministries in strengthening their own efforts at data collection, storage, analysis, and use.