FMI - Glossary 
Framework for the Management of
Information
in the Government of Canada
Glossary
Document Version 2.0
November 2004
Information Management Division
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Title
1.2 Document Revision History
1.3 Context
1.4 Scope
1.5 Applicability
2. Definitions
Accountability
All Persons Working for a Government
Institution
Asset
An Authority.
Authority
Business Case
Content
Controlled Vocabulary
Crawler
Custody
Data
Deputy Head
Disposition
Distributed Computing
Document
DTD
EDI
Emergency Preparedness
Federal Government Institution
Formatting
Governance
Guideline
Governance and Accountability Model
Impact
Integrated Risk Management
Information
Information in the Government of Canada
(GoC)
Information Life Cycle
Information Management
Information Management Advisor
Information Management Specialist
Information Technology Specialist
Interoperability
Likelihood
Loose Structure
Management of Information
Managers
Markup
Messaging
Metadata
Minister of a Government Institution
Outcome
Parsing
Quality Information
Repository
Risk
Risk Management
Risk Review
Role
Resource
Responsibility
Result
Schema
Senior Executive
Single-source publishing
Stakeholder
Standard
Stylesheet
Syndication
Threat
Treasury Board Submission
Valid/validity/validation
Vulnerability
Web Services
Well-formed/Well-formedness/Well-formedness
checking
3. Glossary
4. References
5. Author and date
Glossary
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Revision Number
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Date of Issue
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Author(s)
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Brief Description of Change
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1
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October 2002
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TBS/CIOB/IMD
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Original version
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2
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November 2004
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TBS/CIOB/IMD
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New Definitions
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A glossary provides consistency in the use and meaning of information-related
terms in the components of the Framework. Consistency will assist in achieving a
coherent expression and facilitate understanding of the guidance provided in the
Framework.
This glossary includes definition of words and terms as used in the Framework
for the Management of Information in the GoC. It is a "living"
document with new definitions being added as the components of the framework are
developed.
This glossary shall be used to facilitate the understanding of terms commonly
used in the Framework for the Management of Information in the GoC.
Accountability is the obligation to demonstrate and take responsibility for
performance in light of commitments and expected outcomes.
All Persons Working for the Institution includes all employees regardless of
level and employment status (indeterminate, term, causal, student), any persons
working for the institution under contract or secondment, and any persons
working with the institution under a partnership agreement.
An asset is an entity, quality, or condition of value that provides an
advantage and serves as a resource to achieve desired results and outcomes.
Assets may have a widely recognized financial value (e.g. book value), an
estimated financial value (e.g. cost savings, increased revenue), and/or a
qualitative value (e.g. promotes trust and confidence).
An Authority is the legislation, document or other venue that defines
responsibilities within defined circumstance and empowers an individual or
organization to deliver on them.
Authority is delegated power to command and make final decisions within a
particular domain with the expectation of being obeyed and held accountable for
results.
A business cases is an investment proposal, providing the necessary
information to make a decision about whether a program or project should
proceed. The business case places a proposed investment in a strategic
business context, provides an analysis of costs, benefits, risks, and impacts,
and offers reasonable alternatives and a recommended solution. The
business case provides for comprehensive analysis of investments proposals and a
consistent set of decision criteria to select and prioritize the institution
investment portfolio. Once approved, a business case provides a baseline
to manage investment risks, monitor progress, and measure results.
The information in an XML document, excluding tags and other markup.
A list of standard words or phrases for XML content.
A software process that follows links across the Internet or an Intranet
locating documents for search and retrieval.
Custody is being entrusted with the immediate charge and control over a
resource and guarding or protecting the resource on behalf of its owner or a
higher authority. Government institutions are custodians of information
owned by the crown and are accountable for managing information on behalf of the
government. Government institutions are also custodians of non-government
information in their possession and must manage this information in a manner
that addresses and protects the rights of the owners.
XML specialists often make a distinction between data, XML information
intended to be exchanged among machines, and documents, XML information
intended for people.
The Deputy Head is the head of a federal government institution accountable
to the Minister and through the Minister to Parliament for all institution
activities and for achievement of institution results.
Managing information that is no longer required for operational purposes in
accordance with legislation and policy. Options include destruction of
information that is no longer required, the long-term preservation of
information, or transfer of information to other jurisdictions or to the private
sector.
The ability for a process on one computer system to invoke processes on other
computer systems.
XML specialists often make a distinction between documents, XML
information intended for people, and data, XML information intended to be
exchanged among machines.
Document Type Definition," a kind of simple structural schema
inherited from SGML.
"Electronic Data Interchange," the practice of exchanging
information regularly among systems, often for supply-chain management.
Emergency Preparedness include business continuity planning as well as
planning and implementing responses to a wide range of possible future events
which could interrupt the normal operations of an institution.
In the context of the Framework for the Management of Information in the GoC
a Federal Government Institution is defined as a statutory department, agency,
or corporation as defined in Schedules I, I.1, and II of the Financial
Administration Act (FAA) including:
- Federal government departments, which operate under a departmental statute
with a department head responsible to a Minister (FAA – Schedule I) -
E.g. Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Department of Transport
Canada;
- Federal statutory agencies, which operate under a constituent legislation
with an agency head responsible to a Minister who sets the policy framework
for the agency (FAA – Schedule I.1) - E.g. Public Service
Commission, RCMP;
- Federal departmental corporations established by an Act of Parliament to
perform administrative, research, supervisory, or regulatory functions
subject to same administrative requirements and controls as departments but
with greater decision-making independence (FAA – Schedule II) – E.g.
National Research Council;
- Special operating agencies which operate as service delivery units within
a department's legislative framework and Treasury Board policies and are
responsible to the deputy head. They have a formal performance and
results agreement and operate with increased management flexibility – E.g.
Passport Office, Consulting and Audit Canada;
- All other public institutions subject to the FAA are encouraged to
apply the policies, standards and guidelines of the FMI to enable them to
enhance the management of their information.
The process of presenting XML information to humans by converting it to a
more accessibly format, such as print or a Web page.
Governance is exercising authority to provide direction and to undertake,
coordinate, and regulate activities in support of achieving this direction and
desired outcomes.
A guideline provides descriptive guidance such as best practices, principles
and advice giving government institutions a foundation to develop procedures,
and allowing them discretion in adapting the guideline to accommodate unique
requirements and circumstances.
A Governance and Accountability Model provides the relationship and process
context for working together to ensure outcomes are achieved.
The outcome of an event.
Is a continuous, proactive and systematic process to understand, manage and
communicate risk from an organization-wide perspective. It is about making
strategic decisions that contribute to the achievement of an organization's
overall corporate objectives.
Information is a representation of facts, ideas, or opinions about objects,
events, and/or processes that exist on any medium or format.
Information in the Government of Canada is information created, received,
acquired by or for the government in the course of doing business.
Information in the GoC is subject to legislation, regulations and policies.
The steps that information passes through in the course of conducting
business activities: (collect/create/receive/capture, organize, use/disseminate,
maintain/preserve, disposition)
Information management is a discipline that directs and supports effective
and efficient management of information in an organization from planning and
systems development to disposal and/or long-term preservation.
Information Management Advisors have a broad knowledge of information
management disciplines and provide guidance and support to program and staff
functions on all aspects of managing the information resource.
Information Management Specialists are experts in one or more of the
information management disciplines that support the effective and efficient
management of information.
Information Technology Specialists are information systems and technology
infrastructure managers, experts, and technicians.
The ability of different types of computers, networks, operating systems, and
applications to work together effectively, without prior communication, in order
to exchange information in a useful and meaningful manner. There are three
aspects of interoperability: semantic, structural and syntactical. [DCMI
Glossary]
The probability of occurrence of an uncertain future outcome.
The availability of many alternatives for ordering or structure in the
same XML document.
Management of information is an element of every job function in GoC that has
to do with treating the information used or produced in the course of performing
the job duties as a strategic business resource and in line with legal and
policy requirements.
Managers include program delivery managers and support function managers, at
all levels in the institution, accountable for the direct delivery and support
of programs and services within their domain of business responsibility.
The tags and other information in an XML document exclusive of the main content.
Computer communication over a network using small information packages
following strict protocols. Messaging is a special case of data interchange,
where communication is frequent.
Information about information - similar in concept to a card catalogue that
classifies different kinds of information; e.g. a description of what a profile
field means in an electronic document management system; a description of a
field to be completed on a form.
The Minster of a government institution is the member of the Queen's Privy
Council with designated authority and responsibility for all matters within the
jurisdiction of the institution, not by law assigned to any other department,
board, or agency. The Minister is accountable to the Prime Minister and to
Parliament.
An outcome is an event, occurrence or condition that occurs as a direct
result of programs and activities.
The process of reading an XML file and converting it to internal data
structures that a computer can process.
Characteristics or attributes of information that lead readers/users to trust
it, including accurate, complete, reliable, understandable, relevant, current,
accessible and timely.
A system for storing, retrieving, and controlling access to information.
Refers to the uncertainty that surrounds future events and outcomes. It is the
expression of the likelihood and impact of an event with the potential to
influence the achievement of an organization's objectives.
Risk Management is a systematic approach to setting the best course of action
under uncertainty by identifying, assessing, understanding, acting on, and
communicating risk issues.
Includes risk identification and analysis, response and monitoring.
A Role is a function performed by someone in a particular situation, process
or operation
A Resource is source or supply that can be drawn on to support or fulfill a
specific need or to handle a situation. Information is a resource that supports
and enables business delivery, fulfills inquiry requests, and adds value to
other products and services. Information is a strategic business resource when
it is recognized and managed as a valuable business asset, independent of
organizational boundaries, to address immediate needs, exploit opportunities to
leverage it for business advantage, and enhance its value through knowledge
creation and preservation.
A responsibility is something that one is required to do as part of a job,
role or legal obligation.
A Result is the impact or effect of a program.
A set of structural rules f
Syndicationor an XML document, such as a DTD.
The Senior Executive is an executive level resource designated by the senior
manager of the institution to provide a portfolio-wide focus on the management
of information.
Producing multiple publishing products from a single XML document, though formatting.
Stakeholders are individuals, groups or organizations that have an interest or
share in an undertaking or relationship and its outcome - they may be affected
by it, impact or influence it, and in some way be accountable for it.
A standard provides prescriptive, mandatory measures and practices requiring
full compliance by government institutions.
A set of instructions for formatting an XML document.
Ongoing, scheduled delivery of information, such as daily status
reports or news stories, from publishers to subscribers.
The potential cause of an unwanted event. Threats may come from a number of
internal or external sources and may be caused by a deliberate action, accident,
or an act of nature.
Is a request by institutions for the approval of Treasury Board Ministers to
carry out a proposal that is outside the institution's delegated authorities.
An XML document is valid if it conforms to all of the rules in a
schema.
A characteristic (including a weakness) of an organization's strategy,
management approach, physical environment, resources, operational procedures,
etc. which can be exploited by a threat.
Processes accessible over the network to other computers, the same way that
Web pages are accessible to humans.
An XML document is well-formed if it meets the basic syntactic
requirements of XML, such as matching start and end tags.
Not applicable
Framework for the Management of Information in the Government of Canada
Information Management Division
Treasury Board Secretariat
2004-11
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