U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Toggle navigationUtility (Top) navigationAbout Us ForwardBackAbout UsMission & VisionLeadershipOur OrganizationOur FacilitiesRegionsLaws & Regulations ForwardBackLaws & RegulationsLaws, Agreements & TreatiesHunting RegulationsLibrary ForwardBackLibraryCategoriesCollectionsHomeServices ForwardBackServicesDuck Stamps ForwardBackDuck StampsBuy a Duck Stamp or E-StampBuy a Junior Duck StampFish StockingImporting & ExportingConsultation & Technical Assistance ForwardBackConsultation & Technical AssistanceESA Section 7 ConsultationHabitat Conservation Planning (HCPs)Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCA & CCAA)Safe Harbour Agreements (SHA)Conservation BankingCoastal Barrier Resources Act Project ConsultationCoastal Barrier Resources System Property DocumentationFinancial AssistanceSpecies ManagementInvestigational New Animal Drugs (INADS)PermitsSearch All ServicesDuck Stamps One of the easiest ways that anyone can support bird habitat conservation is by buying duck stamps.Species ForwardBackSpeciesExplore Taxonomic TreeFind a SpeciesInterest story Bats: “The Coolest Mammals on Earth”Visit Us ForwardBackVisit UsEventsRecreation PassesOutdoor RecreationWhere to HuntWhere to FishOur LocationsScenic Drives Tour routes of great scenic drives on National Wildlife Refuges.Get Involved ForwardBackGet InvolvedCareers and InternshipsVolunteeringFriends PartnershipsLearning OpportunitiesEducation ProgramsEventsPartnerships ForwardBackPartnershipsPartnership CategoriesPartner ListVolunteer Search for volunteer opportunities around the countryNewsroom ForwardBackNewsroomPress ReleasesCongressional TestimonyMedia ContactsWild Things News about wonderful wild things and placesInitiatives ForwardBackInitiativesCombating Wildlife TraffickingDirector's PrioritiesClimate ChangeHuntingFishingInvasive SpeciesPollinatorsProtecting WildlifeClimate Action FWS is taking steps to mitigate climate impactsI want to ForwardBackI Want ToReport Wildlife CrimeDo Business with FWSVolunteerFind a Job or InternshipVisit a RefugeBuy a Duck StampApply for a PermitFind FundingFind TrainingWild work Search employment opportunities with USFWSSearchSearchSearchEnter the terms you wish to search for. × Data ManagementImage Details
 Data ManagementAbout UsNewsData Management Life CycleResourcesPolicy The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's scientific data serve as the foundation for future conservation actions. The Service has committed to the goals of good data stewardship in order to make better decisions based on defensible, high-quality scientific information, practice more efficient project management, and improve conservation delivery, all to provide beneficial conservation outcomes.What We DoOur ServicesBiologist in a boat working on a tablet computerImage DetailsData management is properly documenting and caring for our data and the information we derive from the data we collect. A FWS biologist might spend hours in the field collecting habitat or species information, but without proper data management, the data might not be useable (or even discoverable!) by researchers, policymakers, or even our own colleagues.**Scientific data serve as a foundation for future conservation action** - **A strategy for managing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s scientific data**The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's scientific data serve as the foundation for future conservation actions. The Service has committed to the goals of good data stewardship in order to make better decisions based on defensible, high-quality scientific information, practice more efficient project management, and improve conservation delivery, all to provide beneficial conservation outcomes.Managing government information as an asset will increase operational efficiencies, reduce costs, improve services, support mission needs, safeguard personal information, and increase public access to valuable government information.FWS biologist measures endangered Purple Cat's Paw musselImage DetailsA FWS biologist measures endangered Purple Cat's Paw mussel. The data we collect is integral to fulfilling our mission to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.**Managing scientific data is essential for meeting our mission - Good data management improves decision making**The data we acquire, maintain, and analyze are important assets towards the Service’s goals. Making decisions based on reliable and accessible data improves our conservation outcomes, as well as the Service’s scientific credibility.**Good data management saves time and resources**Careful upfront planning ensures that data are quickly converted into usable conservation information and easily available to inform future analyses and decisions.**We are already transforming our data management practices**Improvements in data management in the Service have long been led by grassroots efforts from staff who recognize these benefits. Recent policies have led to the National Data Initiative, which will offer support, tools, and resources and help foster this shift in the Service culture.Data lifecycle diagram - Plan > Acquire > Maintain > Access > Evaluate > ArchiveImage Details**Good data stewardship requires a commitment to improving all aspects of data management** - **Data Management Life Cycle**Our data are corporate assets with value beyond our immediate need. Data management is the responsibility of all Service employees and is best achieved by managing data through all parts of a data management life cycle: planning, acquisition, maintenance, access, evaluation, archiving, and quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC). Questions of documentation, storage, quality assurance, and stewardship need to be answered for each stage of the life cycle.
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service LogoWorking with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.Footer Menu - EmploymentCareers & InternshipsContractingFooter Menu - Site LinksLeadershipFrequently Asked QuestionsContact FWSFooter Menu - LegalAccessibilityFreedom of Information ActNoticesPrivacy PolicyDisclaimersInformation QualityVulnerability Disclosure PolicyFooter Menu - External LinksDOIUSA.GOV




You are exiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website You are being directed to We do not guarantee that the websites we link to comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act. Links also do not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I Understand. Take me there. Cancel