Data Principles

Data Principles

The following concepts are vital to understand the societal challenges and opportunities of digitalisation. Moreover, they provide building blocks for academics, government, private sector and other partners to move towards a better future. Digitalisation is not an autonomous process, and these key concepts help us shape and navigate these rapid developments.

FAIR data

In order to make use of integrated data sets, we have to continuously validate their accuracy, their reliability, and their veracity with new forms of big data analytics. It is therefore important that relevant data is findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable (FAIR).

F - Findable

Easy to find by both humans and computer systems and based on mandatory description of the metadata that allow the discovery of interesting datasets.

A - Accessible

Stored for long term such that they can be easily accessed and/or downloaded with well-defined license and access conditions.

I - Interoperable

Ready to be combined with other datasets by humans as well as computer systems.

R - Re-usable

Ready to be used for future research and to be processed further using computational methods.

FACT data science & algorithms

Closely related to FAIR data is the societal necessity for FACT data science. Only if big data applications and algorithms take important human values into account, they can contribute to a better society for all.

F - Fair

Unfair conclusions are avoided even if they are correctly computed from available data and models.

A - Accurate

Computed answers are given with a guaranteed level of accuracy as so to avoid misleading conclusions.

C - Confidential

Results are achieved in a safe and controlled manner without revealing secret (private, company) information.

T - Transparant

Computed answers can be understood and clarified such that they become undisputable and hence trustworthy.

SHARED society

For a digital society to remain open and democratic, the SHARED principles apply to human-centric information technology. From sustainable to diverse, they form the building blocks for a better world to live in.

S - Sustainable

Citizen engagement needs to be invited and organised in a way that it will last longer than just the launch of a project, or the development of a programme.

H - Harmonious

Citizen engagement needs to be organised in ways that are inclusive and do not contradict existing legislation, social policy and/or standard norms of good citizenship and civil behaviour.

A - Affective

Citizen engagement needs to include acknowledgement of and respect for different emotional investments and concerns that people will have with respect to technology and data.

R - Relevant

Citizen engagement need to engage those people who are directly affected by and involved with the relevant aspects and activities.

E - Empowering

Citizen engagement needs to be aimed at providing people with a better understanding what is going on, the intellectual and practical tools to form an opinion and assessment of it, and where possible, access to the technical tools to participate in it.

D - Diverse

Citizen engagement needs to acknowledge and accommodate the various dimensions of diversity, including gender, ethnicity, class, disability, sexuality, religion.

ROBUST systems

Rapid digitalisation also furthers the need for ROBUST systems, that are beneficial to as well as protect society from threats and harm

R - Resilient

Changes due to accidental or malevolent damages can be absorbed without collapsing the system.

O - Open

Software and hardware (and science done with it) are open for inspection, improvement, and to learn from.

B - Beneficial

Society, economy and science benefit from the functionalities provided by the system.

U - User-oriented

Humans-in-the-loop are explicitly taken into account, following a process of co-creating affective solutions.

S - Secure

Systems are designed to keep intruders out, to avoid abuse, and to do no harm to its users.

T - Trustworthy

Systems are build such that they are available when needed and operate correctly and safely according to intended design.

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