Guidance

Make better use of data

Consider how to minimise data collection and reuse data to avoid duplication of datasets.

Published 6 November 2017
Last updated 5 October 2018 — see all updates

• From: Government Digital Service

To meet point 10 of the Technology Code of Practice your plans must show you’ve considered minimising data collection and duplication.

You’ll have to explain how you’re meeting point 10 as part of the spend control process or any limitations you’ve encountered that prevented you from achieving this.

How minimising data collection and duplication will help your programme

Minimising data collection and duplication will mean your project benefits from:

• adhering to the Government Transformation Strategy and the UK Digital Strategy
• saving time and money by reusing open data that is already available
• infrastructure and services that contain consistent information
• giving your users a more consistent experience when using government services online, which builds trust
• potentially reducing unnecessary new demands for data storage

How your programme can make better use of data

When using data your obligations include:

• making your data open by default, following open data principles when publishing data
• making sure users of transactional services have access to data held about them - the service should clearly communicate how data will be used
• making sure you put in place audit trails that clearly show how individual data records are accessed and amended. You will need to consider the volume of data processed and the circumstances for each service before deciding on an audit process and how long the data is kept
• following the Information Commissioner’s Code of Practice for data sharing
• conducting a Privacy Impact Assessment in line with the ICO Code of Practice when using personal data
• anonymising personal data in accordance with the ICO Code of Practice for anonymisation
• considering ethical issues around using data, and assessing these according to the principles of the Data Science Ethical Framework
• following the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into force on 25 May 2018 (more information is available in point 7 of the Technology Code of Practice)
• holding data securely and for specified purposes, in accordance with point 9 of the Service Standard

To make better use of data consider:

• making sure newly collected data can be made easily accessible to APIs for future use
• minimising the amount of data shared for achieving a specific purpose (large amounts of personal information should not be shared or copied unnecessarily)
• using common standards and patterns to ensure data can be easily analysed, and where appropriate, shared with other departments
• understanding best practices for collecting, storing, analysing and sharing data from other departments, other governments and other sectors
• keeping data for only as long as necessary, and securely deleting the data when it’s no longer needed

Related guides

Policies and guidance available includes:

• Full list of related Technology Code of Practice guidance
• Data Science and Ethical Framework
• Publish and use government’s open data
• unlocking the power of data in the UK economy and improving public confidence in its use - part 7 of the UK Digital Strategy
• Making better use of data - part of the Government Transformation Strategy 2017-2020
• Government transformation strategy - better use of data
• EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Data Protection Act 2018
• Using registers to build a service
• API documentation for registers
• API technical and data standards
• summary of the Better use of data consultation by the Cabinet Office
• Local Government Association - better use of data

Published 6 November 2017
Last updated 5 October 2018 + show all updates

1. 5 October 2018 Addition of content about audit trails
2. 6 November 2017 First published.