“A new standard outlines how scientists and technology professionals across an array of fields should record the provenance – or origin and history of use – for data about and relating to Indigenous Peoples.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers – known as IEEE and dubbed the “world’s largest technical professional organization”– voted and approved the first-ever international standard regarding the “appropriate disclosure of Indigenous peoples’ relationships and/or links to all data,” which was published this month. 

The standard details the process for describing and recording the provenance of data about or related to Indigenous Peoples and their cultures, lands and knowledge systems. This includes historical collections of Indigenous data, as well as any future data and datasets coming from Indigenous Peoples and/or deriving from Indigenous lands and waters. The development of IEEE Standards are overseen by the IEEE Standards Association while the content of those standards is “determined by a consensus body of materially interested parties,” according to the organization.

IEEE maintains an archive of over 1000 active technology standards, with several hundred others in development at any given time. These standards are used by researchers and industry professionals in more than 160 countries to develop emerging tech products and processes, impacting everything from the smartphone in your pocket, to generative artificial intelligence, to the infrastructure that powers your community.”

Read the full story through the Native Nations Institute here.