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ARCHIVED - Management of Government Information Holdings (Review Guide) - November 11, 1995


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Appendix C: Linkages to Information Technology

As mentioned in the Introduction, the Treasury Board Foreword on Information Management says that linkages between information technology and information holdings should be established to the extent that they are useful and meaningful.

For purposes of the MGIH policy, linkages between information technology and information holdings can be made where technology is used for information management in an operational sense or to meet legislative or policy requirements. Consequently, some institutions may have to distinguish between information technology for such purposes and information technology for other purposes.

An obvious example would be a major office automation system which processes, stores and transmits information to users. In this case, the technology should be linked to the support requirements of the information holdings to ensure that all key attributes of information are met (i.e., the information is available, understandable, useable, complete, accurate and up-to-date). In addition, the technology should assist in meeting all applicable legislative and policy requirements such as privacy and protection. For example, the technology used may have to ensure that access to and retrieval of some information can be restricted to certain authorized users.

In many institutions, most of the information technology acquired and used is related to the processing, storage, communication and use of information for management, program delivery and accountability purposes. In these cases, the information technology is linked to the management of information holdings.

In some institutions, however, much of the information technology acquired and used has little or no such application. Instead, the technology is used for other purposes, such as controlling and guiding machinery and equipment. For example, the heating, cooling, elevator and security systems of most major buildings are computer controlled. In fact, a great proportion of electric and mechanized equipment is computer assisted, ranging from smaller things like wood lathes and gas chromatographs to larger items like wind tunnels, ships and aircraft. In maintaining, refitting or upgrading such equipment, some institutions make substantial expenditures on information technology.

It can be argued that a "number-crunching" computer used for scientific research and the navigational control system of a vessel are in fact processing information, and thus the term information technology is appropriate to them. While the purpose of this technology is quite different than that of an office automation system, both are described as information technologies for the purposes of Treasury Board policies.

It should also be noted that some technology purchases related to the management of information may not be categorized as information technology, because they are not computer related. For example, a microfilm reader and photocopier can also be called information technology, but they might be procured under an office equipment budget, not the information technology budget. This kind of equipment should also be linked to information holdings in terms of ensuring that all key attributes of information are met.

Linkages between information technology and information holdings should be made when technology is used to support information holdings. The linkages should identify how technology is contributing to the economic, efficient and effective management of information holdings.