Operationalising Be FAIR and CARE

The global call for Indigenous data sovereignty—the right of a nation to govern the collection, ownership, and application of its own data—has grown in intensity and scope over the past five years. At the same time, researchers, data repositories, and data service operations are increasingly aware of the need to choose and prioritise data governance and stewardship mechanisms that align with Indigenous rights and Indigenous aspirations to improve data quality and functionality.

The RDA International Indigenous Data Sovereignty IG was formed in response to the need for a wider understanding of Indigenous data sovereignty, providing an avenue and space for high level collaborative engagement in the rapidly developing environment of Indigenous data. 

The goals of the International Indigenous Data Sovereignty IG are clearly aligned with the RDA mission of creating a global community to develop and adopt infrastructure that promotes data-sharing, data-driven research, and data use.

The RDA FAIR Data Maturity Model Working Group develops as an RDA Recommendation a common set of core assessment criteria for FAIRness and a generic and expandable self-assessment model for measuring the maturity level of a dataset. The aim is not to develop yet another FAIR assessment approach but to build on existing initiatives, looking at common elements and allowing the group to identify core elements for the evaluation of FAIRness. That will increase the coherence and interoperability of existing or emerging FAIR assessment frameworks and it will ensure the combination and compatibility of their results in a meaningful way.

The WG brings together stakeholders from different scientific and research disciplines, the industry and public sector, who are active and/or interested in the FAIR data principles and in particular in assessment criteria and methodologies for evaluating their real-life uptake and implementation level.