Glossary of terms

In this section

Glossary of terms

Metadata - A set of data that describes and gives information about other information.
Taxonomy - The hierarchical classification of information or data held by an organisation can also referred to as classification scheme or filing structure.
Information Management lifecycle - The management of information from creation through to disposal in order to optimise its utility and minimise legal and compliance risks.
Silo - In relation to information this is the practice of departments working in an isolated way that does not facilitate information sharing and therefore reduces efficiency.

Last reviewed: 17/10/2023

Information is important to all organisations, it is needed to inform policy development and to make evidence based decisions, as well as to ensure accountability to the public. Recognising the importance of information to the public sector in 2011 the UK Government produced a set of information management principles to provide high level guidance to enable organisations across the public sector to draw their own local strategy and practices from a common set of principles and best practices.

This section describes those and Gloucestershire County Council’s (GCC) principles for good information management and sets out how we intend to interpret them at GCC taking into account our unique organisational context and information usage.

Information Management Principles PDF version

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