Key facts
In 2019, the Federal Council commissioned the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) to implement the National data management (NaDB) programme and confirmed this again in 2020. The programme aims to promote the multiple use of data in the Federal Administration and thus make administrative processes more efficient. It includes laying the foundations, such as the creation and operation of an interoperability platform (I14Y). Experience will also be gathered through practical feasibility projects – and data harmonisation in the Federal Administration will be promoted as part of the programme. The FSO itself is responsible for a large part, around CHF 30 million, of the total budget of CHF 37.7 million. In 2023, the Federal Council decided to continue the programme work until 2026. The focus is on driving forward data harmonisation and standardisation in the context of the existing division of powers.
In 2021, the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) conducted an initial audit of the programme and issued six recommendations.4 The second audit will now assess whether the embedding of NaDB in the overarching data and responsibility structures of the Confederation and in the structures of the FSO is appropriate. The SFAO also examined the implementation of the recommendations from the first audit.
The audit found that the programme has laid various foundations to enable the semantic interoperability of data, for example a common understanding of the data format, within the Confederation. However, NaDB must develop further tools before the end of the programme so that the FSO can effectively perform the tasks as a permanent task in the future. The programme faces the challenge of pushing data harmonisation forward. It is dependent on the cooperation of the administrative units. The FSO must incorporate the knowledge gained into the new federal data strategy being developed under the leadership of the Federal Chancellery’s Digital Transformation and ICT Steering Sector.