The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics) are a leading resource guiding the development of policies and practices for the governance of Indigenous data around the world. Today, as data actors and institutions seek to apply the CARE Principles to their data ecosystems, or mandate CARE within their organizational policies, new tools are needed to guide, assess, monitor, and ensure that CARE implementation adheres to the rights, interests, and protocols of the Indigenous Peoples and communities from which the data derive.
Image citation: Jennings, L., Anderson, T., Martinez, A. et al. Applying the ‘CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance’ to ecology and biodiversity research. Nat Ecol Evol 7, 1547–1551 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02161-2
Introduction to the CARE Data Maturity Model
The CARE Data Maturity Model will serve as a tool to iteratively assess and improve the strength of CARE implementation. The CARE Data Maturity Model team is currently drafting a set of criteria and indicators (i.e., measurable actions for the governance of Indigenous data) to evaluate an organization or project’s policies, practices, relationships, and data infrastructure for alignment to the CARE Principles.
Utilizing the CARE Data Maturity Model
Since their publication in 2019, the CARE Principles have led to the development and implementation of policies at national and global institutions. The CARE Data Maturity Model supports the continued development of policies and provides an assessment tool to evaluate CARE “maturity” of data ecosystems and make targeted improvements.
Components of the CARE Data Maturity Model
Examples of the CARE Data Maturity Model in practice
Data actors have begun working through what CARE implementation looks like for them. Each is beginning from a place that they have identified works best for their organization. The examples shared in the video below highlight CARE engagement from research funders, data repositories, and publishers.
CARE Directs Us Home: Indigenous Peoples’ Standards
The CARE Principles demand operationalizing locally-designed Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Indigenous Data Governance models, principles, and frameworks as a priority activation of CARE to ensure that implementation of the CARE Principles adheres to the rights of peoples related to the data.
Aotearoa New Zealand
Australia
Canada
United States
Sápmi
(Saami Council- NGO working across Finland, Sweden, and Norway)
CARE in Policy
Many institutions, governments, organizations, and other data related entities have shown significant interest in and implementation of the CARE Principles in policy and processes since their initial publication in 2019. The following examples show uptake across international, national, and independent institutions.
Globally
Within Nation States
Meet our CARE Data Maturity Model Team
Award Abstract # 2412372
