Engaging Toronto’s Digital Infrastructure Strategic Framework (DISF) to Model Trusted Data Sharing

This report addresses the complex issues of City divisional data sharing by analyzing formal and informal process of data flow and blockages. Based on our findings, we make recommendations for a robust data governance framework to facilitate data sharing to improve programs and services while still abiding by provincial legislation that is focused on protecting individual privacy. Under the umbrella of the City’s Digital Infrastructure Strategic Framework, this report examines a complex case study that exemplifies the data governance challenges found under the current system and data used to deliver income support programs and benefits by the Human Services Integration project. This case study has a specific focus on investigating data sharing processes and does not review associated business processes such as service delivery. The report provides specific recommendations for trusted data sharing and governance within the City. At a high level, we recommend that data infrastructure (defined as the physical and digital objects, mechanisms, and structures through which data is captured, stored, and shared; e.g., databases) could be improved through cross-divisional integration; data quality (defined as the measure of data condition based on factors such as accuracy, completeness, consistency, and reliability) could be improved by establishing an information verification pathway; and that data governance (defined as a collection of processes, policies, standards, and metrics that support the lawful and effective use of data to achieve expressed goals and standards) could be improved through the adoption of a more mature data sharing agreement.

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