Information, data and metadata: why they need to be managed

Wednesday 6th March 2013 , 6:30 pm.

Speaker: Keith Gordon.

Venue: Room 4.31, University of Edinburgh Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB.

Refreshments and networking from 6:00 pm.

This event is free of charge and open to all. No registration required - just turn up.

Synopsis

Every organisation needs to understand and manage its information and data as a valuable corporate asset. Information is a key resource, ranking alongside people and assets such as stocks, equipment and estate, yet all too often the management of data and information is the Cinderella of the organisation and scant attention is paid to this key area.

This presentation will explain why organisations should set up formal approaches to the management of information and data. It will also explain how an understanding of an organisation’s metadata is essential if information and data are to be managed.

About the speaker

Keith Gordon is a consultant, business analyst, education and training manager and lecturer with over 45 years experience in technical, education and training environments. He served in the Army for 38 years and is now an independent consultant and lecturer specialising in data management and business analysis.

In addition to his commercial consultancy and lecturing, he is an examiner with BCS for Data Management and Business Analysis, he represents the UK on ISO/IEC JTC1/SC32 (Data Management and Interchange) where he specialises in the development of standards for the management of Metadata, he is secretary of the Data Management Specialist Group of the BCS, he is a founding member of the UK Chapter of DAMA-International and he is the author of ‘Principles of Data Management: Facilitating Information Sharing’, published by the BCS in 2007. He was an associate lecturer with the Open University from 1999 until 2010.

He holds an MSc in Design of Information Systems from Cranfield Institute of Technology, a BA in maths and computing from the Open University, and a BCS Diploma in Business Systems Development, specializing in Data Management.