From data to value 

About the DIKAR Framework

From Data to Value
In today’s digital society, information management is no longer just about preserving records – it is about creating real value for society, citizens, and the organisation. Achieving this requires cross-disciplinary teams where IT specialists, information and record managers, analysts, information architects, security officers and operational units collaborate toward a shared goal.

When diverse competencies come together, a common language and structure are essential. This ensures high-quality data and usable information that forms the basis for analysis, knowledge-building, informed decision-making and value creation. This is where the DIKAR Framework comes in.

A Scandinavian Approach to Data-Driven Transformation
The DIKAR Framework is built on a scientific foundation – yet it has been further developed for practical application in public organisations seeking to create value from their data. Drawing on information and knowledge theory, the DIKW model (knowledge pyramid), and the DIKAR model (Ward & Peppard, based on N. Venkatraman) the framework provides a shared logic that including:

• Information systems and computer science 

• Archival science 

• Information science 

• Knowledge management 

• Organisational principles

This results in a coherent, Scandinavian-inspired approach to data- and value-driven public sector development and information management.

The House as a Metaphor
A house only works if all systems – water, electricity, ventilation, heating, and sewage – are coordinated and function together. Each system requires its own expertise but also an understanding of how all systems interact.

Organisations function the same way: data, analyses, standards, models, processes, and decisions must be coordinated to create real value.

The DIKAR Framework is the blueprint for a data-driven organisation. It shows how an organisation can develop so that data is systematically transformed into value for society, citizens, and the organisation.

From Data to Results

The DIKAR Framework guides organisations to work systematically and in a value-driven manner across the entire chain:

Data → Information → Knowledge → Action → Result
It provides a structured approach to quality-assure each step of the information process, through the coordination of systems, standards, models, metadata, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. A coherent and coordinated approach to information management, aligned with organisational objectives, lays the foundation for creating measurable value and societal impact.

Practical and Implementable
DIKAR Framework is designed for practical implementation, not just theory. It integrates:

• Information governance and provenance

• Long-term preservation and authenticity

• Data quality, decision-making and value creation

By combining theory and practice, DIKAR establishes a supporting infrastructure of systems, standards, models and metadata – providing a stable foundation to turn data into actionable results.