Air Force aims for better data management

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — During the past two months, the Air Force started to solve the most difficult problem affecting commanders and airmen in the Information Age: managing data.

On March 3, Air Force officials issued a memorandum stating that the service will take a proactive approach to managing information — the biggest growth area for the service.

"There is a long way to go, this is hard," said John Gilligan, Air Force chief information officer, speaking May 18 at the Montgomery Information Technology Summit. "This is not really an information technology thing. But [data management] can get help from IT in advice, process and methods."

The March memorandum, "Air Force Information and Data Management Strategy Policy," identifies service command and agencies responsible for certain information called data owners and stewards.

The memo defines owners, data producers, communities of interest and shared information spaces, said Gilligan at the two-day event sponsored by the local chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.

"This is about how to get data for our airmen for decision-making," Gilligan said.