Effective Data Management

Effective data management through all of the data life-cycle phases is the foundation for reliable information. Data may have different uses at different times and requires different management handling in the life-cycle phases. For instance, an organization may consider critical data required for discovery as very valuable during a key event, but when the event is over, the information diminishes in value quickly (e.g., data collected from seismic activities for predicting an earthquake).

Data may typically have a longer lifespan than the project that creates it. Though the funding period formally defines the lifespan of most projects, the resultant data may be available for many years afterwards. If an organization manages and preserves the data properly, the data is available for use well into the future, increasing the investment made in generating it by increasing visibility and usefulness. The time spent in planning and implementing effective data management pays dividends far in excess of its investment costs.