In our work with First Nations communities and organizations, we often undertake projects related to document management systems. While doing this work, we stumbled upon the concept of OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) which is a guideline around data governance for First Nations in Canada developed by the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC).
Through the work we have done with our First Nations clients, we have come to realize that OCAP® is underrecognized, and many communities in BC either haven’t heard of it, or haven’t been able to implement it due to a variety of capacity, legal, bureaucratic, and financial barriers. Going through the process of looking into OCAP® for our clients, we’ve also come to understand just how much data on First Nations across the country is owned and used by people other than those Nations, in ways that are most often not to the benefit of the Nation.
We recognize that many nations across the province and across the country haven't had the opportunity or time to conduct research into data governance, although they recognize the importance it plays in their communities. We thought we would do that research ourselves and help make OCAP®, it's principles and solutions, and the steps nations can take to implement it more accessible. You can read about out findings in our new white paper: 6 ways to implement OCAP® from an IT perspective: The need for Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession for First Nations data sovereignty.
You can download a full copy of the white paper below:
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