According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Transportation Performance Management (TPM) Toolbox, “Data Management encompasses a set of coordinated activities for maximizing the value of data to an organization. It includes data collection, creation, processing, storage, backup, organization, documentation, protection, integration, dissemination, archiving and disposal.”
Figure 3.2 Data Management Subcomponents and Implementation Steps
Data management alone is necessary, but not sufficient, to inform decision making in the absence of closely related information management strategies.
“For many agencies, the problem is not a lack of data; it is a lack of capabilities to transform available data into useful information. This requires deliberate effort at all stages of the data life cycle, from specification through analysis to make sure that data is of sufficient quality; and that it can be integrated, visualized and used to provide insights. Having people with the right skills and experience to carry out these activities is essential.”