The Custodial Officer
One of the first questions asked by Spatial Professionals when their organisation becomes a Custodian is “what does this mean for me?” The answer is often “building on what you are already doing, within a clear and formal framework”.
When a Custodian accepts responsibility for the development, storage and maintenance of a dataset, these responsibilities and obligations are delegated to a Custodial Officer. This person must be very clear about their role and management must support them with the right resources.
Initially, the Custodial Officer is responsible for writing the dataset documentation, advising management on quality, access and distribution policy and agreeing the standards by which the data will be maintained. The Custodial Officer is then responsible for the ongoing collection, storage, maintenance and possibly the distribution of the dataset. He or she is the key point of contact, the “authoritative source” of information for that dataset.
One or more people may already be performing the role of ‘de facto’ Custodial Officer but it is still important to clarify their responsibilities under the formal Custodianship Programme. They will most probably be expanded because of the more comprehensive documentation and processes.
The skills and experience required will depend on the number and complexity of datasets being managed, frequency of update, whether maintenance is in house or outsourced. It may be a full time or part time role or split between two individuals; one working more on policy and standards, the other on the practical implementation of these standards.
Profile of Hayden Asmussen, Custodial Officer for GPSnet
A series of Fact Sheets and FAQs have been developed to explain the issues surrounding Custodianship. The Spatial Information Infrastructure Group (SII) guides you through theprocess of becoming a custodian, providing templates,
tools and advice. SII provides ongoing support and organises forums where Custodial Officers meet to
share ideas and solve problems.
Page last updated: 2010-06-19 14:27:03