This paper describes a progressive strategy of change that would enable the Service to begin sharing its data as a corporate asset, marketing its programs, and thereby more efficiently accomplish its mission and enhance its ability to respond to future demands for information. Benefits of Sharing Corporate Information Sharing information fosters collaboration and continual learning and improvement based on common experiences among Service personnel and their external partners. Based on the lessons learned from this effort, the Service may link other information databases when the need exists to share data. Over the course of time, the effort to share data among systems will grow opportunistically, but will need central guiding standards and oversight to support system owners in modifying or updating their systems. To a limited degree, the Service has already started on the path toward corporate information sharing.
Powerful technologies exist for capturing and sharing knowledge.
The Service needs to prepare and adopt a strategy for taking advantage of such technology to share its corporate data effectively. A move to integrate existing databases and increase data sharing opportunities is a long-term project that will not be accomplished quickly. Such an outreach program needs to highlight the personal incentives associated with putting data in once and being able to use it for multiple information queries. The Service must clearly define operational roles and responsibilities for selected managers at all levels of the organization and provide them with the managerial tools to implement data sharing strategies. Effective information management will need its stewards, clearly defined and empowered to effect policy and implementation standards.