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International Indigenous data sovereignty frameworks

International Indigenous frameworks reinforce many Māori data-sovereignty concerns, but none should simply be imported and relabelled as Māori. Their value is comparative: they expose practical questions about authority, possession, benefit, responsibility, metadata, research return and lifecycle control that Māori GIS projects can consider within their own tikanga and governance.

CARE​

The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance are:

  • Collective Benefit
  • Authority to Control
  • Responsibility
  • Ethics

CARE was developed to complement data-management approaches such as FAIR. For GIS, CARE is useful because it prevents open, interoperable or reusable from becoming automatic goals detached from authority and benefit.

GIS translation​

If a project claims collective benefit, ask:

  • Who identified the benefit?
  • Who receives the resulting maps and data?
  • Does the community receive usable source data and metadata?
  • Are public derivatives designed for community outcomes rather than only research outputs?

If a project claims authority to control, ask:

  • Who owns administrator rights?
  • Who can change sharing?
  • Who can approve derived products?
  • Can the community leave the platform?

First Nations OCAP​

The First Nations Information Governance Centre describes OCAP as Ownership, Control, Access and Possession.

OCAP is specific to First Nations contexts in Canada. It is not a Māori framework. Its concept of possession is especially useful for GIS because it distinguishes a stated right from practical control.

A community may be described as the owner of data while lacking:

  • a current copy
  • administrator access
  • export rights
  • metadata
  • attachments
  • the software needed to use it

That distinction should be tested in every Māori GIS contract.

Local Contexts​

Local Contexts provides Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural Labels and Notices that allow Indigenous communities to express provenance, protocols and expectations for the use of knowledge and data.

For GIS, the important lesson is that metadata can carry richer community protocols than ordinary copyright, public or private fields.

Possible concepts include:

  • community use
  • attribution
  • culturally sensitive material
  • seasonal restrictions
  • non-commercial conditions
  • verification and provenance

Labels do not enforce database permissions by themselves. They can complement technical access controls and agreements.

Australia​

The Australian Government's Framework for Governance of Indigenous Data was co-designed by Australian Public Service agencies with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-government partners. It is intended to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples greater agency over how government-held data are governed and used.

For Māori GIS, the comparative lesson is institutional: governments can move beyond consultation toward shared governance, capability and visibility of what data the state holds.

Australian Indigenous Data Sovereignty work associated with Maiam nayri Wingara also places Indigenous control across data ecosystems rather than only at the final publication stage.

Sámi SODA​

The Sámi Council's Sámi Ownership and Data Access principles, commonly referred to as SODA, emphasise Sámi collective benefit, authority, ownership and control, responsibility and ethics across the data lifecycle.

This is particularly useful to compare with Māori GIS because it comes from another Indigenous people whose data are distributed across several state jurisdictions and institutional systems.

GIS translation​

A spatial project should consider:

  • who authorises collection
  • which language and place names are used
  • whether mapping simplifies relational landscapes
  • where copies exist across institutions
  • how data are returned and repatriated
  • what happens when research funding ends

UNDRIP​

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides a wider rights context. Articles 25 and 26 address Indigenous relationships and rights concerning lands, territories and resources. Article 31 recognises rights to maintain, control, protect and develop cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions.

UNDRIP does not prescribe a cloud architecture, database permission model or GIS product. Its relevance is that technical compliance alone cannot settle questions about Indigenous authority over knowledge and lands.

What these frameworks have in common​

Although their language differs, several recurring themes appear:

ThemeGIS consequence
Collective authorityapproval cannot always be reduced to individual consent
Benefitdata collection should produce a defined community benefit
Practical controlcommunities need usable access, not only a contractual ownership statement
Responsibilitysecurity, provenance and long-term custody matter
Lifecycle governanceauthority should continue through analysis, publication, archive and deletion
Provenancemetadata should preserve source and community relationships
Returnresearch and supplier arrangements should return usable data and derivatives

Do not create a universal Indigenous template​

Indigenous peoples have different laws, histories, political relationships and governance structures. Māori GIS should use international frameworks to sharpen questions, not to override Māori tikanga or replace Māori-led sources.

Sources​

Last reviewed: 16 August 2026

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