Hartford Data Collaborative Signs 75th Agency; Governance Highlighted in International Journal of Data Science
In August 2023, the 75th agency signed the Hartford Data Collaborative Enterprisewide Memorandum of Understanding (EMOU). This is an important milestone for the Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC), formed four years ago as a trusted, neutral place for linking and integrating data to address knowledge gaps about social services in Hartford.
HDC began in 2019 with four key agencies—the City of Hartford, Hartford Public Schools, Capital Workforce Partners, and Our Piece of the Pie. Since then, a growing number of community-based organizations have demonstrated an interest and willingness to participate in data sharing about their program participants and clients through HDC. Each agency that signs the HDC EMOU confirms and signals its commitment to common data principles and its understanding of the governance structure surrounding data sharing through HDC. HDC has gained more credibility and trust for its data sharing and integration services, and is now involved in a number of projects involving data about Hartford residents.
What is the EMOU?
The Enterprisewide Memorandum of Understanding (EMOU) is a key HDC document that outlines the mission and vision of HDC and its partnership. The EMOU’s purpose is to establish the governance framework necessary for operating HDC, including establishing HDC data priorities, requesting data, reviewing and determining approval for HDC requests, monitoring HDC projects, and disseminating HDC project information to appropriate HDC committees. The EMOU provides transparency to all parties regarding how data requests originate, are approved, and executed through HDC.
Which parties have signed the EMOU?
The EMOU is signed by the Mayor of Hartford, the City of Hartford’s Corporation Counsel, and CTData’s Executive Director. Organizations serving Hartford residents who are considering or are asked to share data, are required to sign the EMOU. This structure allows HDC to obtain additional data sharing partners without having to draw up a separate MOU each time a new agency participates or is interested in data sharing. The EMOU is considered an evergreen document that remains in effect until the organization withdraws its support.
While data sharing is often discussed by program level and operations staff within a community based organization, the EMOU is signed at the highest level of an organization or agency, such as by the Executive Director, Department Director, or CEO. This signals the commitment to data sharing and an understanding of the role of CTData and HDC in ensuring ethical and permissible data sharing.
Organizations that have signed the EMOU include: the Capital Region Education Council, Community Partners in Action, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, CT Coalition to End Homelessness, the Hartford Public Library, United Way of Central and Northeastern CT, Urban League of Greater Hartford, the Village for Families and Children, and the Wheeler Clinic.
Importance of EMOU for Centering Equity
The EMOU provides a common understanding of data sharing and integration and outlines the governance structure needed to oversee data sharing. Historically, residents of urban communities have participated in research studies without access to review how others have interpreted their data. Data sharing without seeing the results of research projects in addressing systems change can lead communities to distrust and limit information sharing, further inhibiting decision-making and investments in communities in most need.
The EMOU outlines the process by which community stakeholders and data sharing have access to the data that represents the Hartford community and has a voice in how their data is interpreted. HDC provides a means through which community members and organizations can see a direct connection to the benefit of their community. In the HDC processes delineated in the EMOU, data requests for individual data are submitted to an HDC data coordinator, who follows the HDC request process to ensure stakeholders are consulted and data reports are shared with community organizations and city agencies before public release.
How does the EMOU compare with other data sharing or business sharing documents?
The EMOU is a multilateral agreement signed by different parties who agree to the core approach and principles of the HDC project. HDC has also developed Data Sharing Agreements that outline data protections and securities specific to each data request and data fields involved. For example, education data includes a discussion of student privacy under federal law and CT state statutes.
The EMOU is signed at the beginning of the project to help all parties have common expectations of the HDC process. The Data Sharing Agreements (DSAs) are drafted by agencies after the research questions are developed and the data request is refined to identify key data fields requested from each partner in a project. The DSA is a legal document that provides transparency on the requested data types, the process by which data will be transmitted and stored, and the methods by which privacy and security concerns are maintained.
HDC Governance Policies & Practices Highlighted in International Journal
The Hartford Data Collaborative’s governance structure recently made news by being featured in a new article in the September 2023 International Journal of Population Data Science that outlines the minimum specifications (min specs) for reliable and trustworthy data governance policies. HDC was part of an international team that developed and tested the essential requirements for data sharing about people. The project highlights the need for strong data governance and management to ensure that the re-use of people’s data is kept secure, privacy protections are maintained, and appropriate controls are in place. The full article is available on the journal's website.
For More Information
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