Guidance

Person Data Standard: overview and guidance (Alpha Release)

Published 30 June 2026

1. Overview 

The Person Data Standard forms part of a significant cross-government effort led by the Data Standards Authority to establish shared, reusable data standards that underpin a wide range of government services and policy outcomes. It has been developed collaboratively through the Domain Expert Group for Person, with contributions from experts across multiple departments and bodies. 

This release accompanies a wider set of artefacts published as part of the Alpha phase, where the standards will be tested and validated in real-world organisational settings. This document is the front door to the Person Data Standard. It explains what the standard is, why it exists, and when teams should use it. 

• sets the context and intent of the standard 

• explains scope, maturity (Alpha), and tranche approach 

• describes how the standard supports interoperability, reuse, and safe data sharing 

• helps non-specialists decide whether the standard is relevant to their work 

2. Scope of the Release 

The Person Data Standard includes the following components: 

• Attributes Specification for Person Entity (Tranche 1) - this is the core of the Person Data Standard. It defines the meaning of individual person attributes in a way that teams and systems can rely on. 

  • Provides authoritative definitions for person attributes 

  • Enables consistent interpretation across systems and organisations 

  • Supports reuse, comparison, and data mapping 

  • Acts as a semantic reference for both humans and automated systems 

• Person Data Standard – Conceptual Model (Reference) - a conceptual reference model showing what a “Person” is in data terms, independent of any system or implementation. 

  • Provides a shared mental model across government 

  • Shows how different aspects of person data relate to each other 

  • Prevents inconsistent or ad hoc interpretations of “Person” 

• Person Data Standard – Logical Reference Model (Non-normative) - a logical reference model that connects conceptual ideas to data structures and underpins the attribute specifications. 

  • Supports understanding of how attributes relate to one another 

  • Helps architects and analysts reason about alignment and extensibility 

  • Provides a bridge between concepts and real-world data models 

• Use case - real-world example showing how the Person Data Standard supports delivery and reduces cost and risk. 

  • Demonstrates practical value 

  • Shows consequences of inconsistent person data 

  • Builds confidence for adoption 

These artefacts together provide a foundational, semantically consistent representation of Person-related data across government. Future versions of the Attributes Specification will include additional attributes of an individual person. 

3. Purpose of the Alpha Release 

The Alpha aims to generate evidence and learning on the maturity, usability, and ability to implement the standard. It is not intended to drive full compliance but to support practical testing in controlled environments. The Alpha will explore: 

• organisational adoption feasibility 

• mapping existing datasets to the standard 

• operational and delivery impacts 

• suitability of the proposed governance model 

4. What’s New 

This Alpha release focuses on a small set of familiar, commonly used person attributes, prioritising clarity and usability for teams building or procuring new services and systems, alongside a harmonised conceptual and logical structure for Person-related data. 

The following is out of scope for this release, but initial work has been developed as part of the proof of concept and to consider broader context: 

• semantic model for how people and person-to-person relationships are represented across government systems 

• semantic domain for Party-to-Party 

5. Intended Use 

The Person Data Standard is designed for use by: 

• programmes building and buying systems, and upgrading legacy technology 

• data architects and modellers aligning existing systems to shared semantics 

• service teams seeking to reuse common definitions for Person data 

• policy and operational teams requiring consistency in how person-related information is collected, shared, or reused 

• governance and leadership establishing common standards and oversight 

• technical infrastructure enabling secure data exchange 

• legal and compliance frameworks supporting data sharing 

During Alpha, although organisations are not expected to adopt the Person Data Standard, we encourage them to use the attribute specifications and models as a reference when designing, procuring, or integrating systems, and to test how easily existing data can be mapped to the standard. 

6. Feedback Required 

The purpose of this Alpha release is to gather feedback from organisations across government on the maturity, usability, and ability to implement the Person Data Standard. 

We are looking for input on: 

• whether the attribute definitions are clear and usable in your context 

• how easily existing datasets can be mapped to the standard 

• practical experience of applying the conceptual and logical models 

• any gaps, ambiguities, or improvements needed before the Beta release 

Alpha testing will run for an 8-week period beginning from the date of publication on GOV.UK. Feedback can be sent to the Data Standards Authority at data-standards-authority@dsit.gov.uk

7. Contact 

For queries or feedback, please contact the Data Standards Authority at data-standards-authority@dsit.gov.uk