Data plays an increasingly important role in today’s society. Data is used to make (management) decisions, offer novel and effective services and improve people’s lives across all walks of life. 

​However, effective data use can only be achieved through proper data governance. This entails the following: 

• mapping and grouping of data;

• estimating the value of data; 

• tagging data with understandable descriptions, i.e. metadata;

• continuously measuring and improving data quality;

• ​managing the lifecycle of data, including the archiving and disposal of data when its value and functions change over time;

• making data available to potential re-users in a convenient, up-to-date and reliable manner.

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Data governance is closely intertwined with the core operations of institutions and their perspectives on data reuse – effective data governance can only be implemented if data owners, stewards and managers have a good understanding of the nuances of both data generation and use!