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A Daily Lexicon of Trustworthy Data

005·25

federation

/ˌfɛd.əˈreɪ.ʃən/ - n.

1 [colloq.] The word for centralization once the central team admits it cannot make anyone do anything.Keep. Punchy.This is the problem.

Working definition

2. An arrangement in which independent systems or teams retain local control while agreeing on shared standards for interoperation.

Filed

Seen in the wild · 3

OMB put AI governance on the calendar. The data definition still needs a chair.Owner Missing
NIST Asked Where the Data Came From; The Pipeline Went QuietOwner Missing
Everyone shipped data products. The decision rights never left the building.Owner Missing

See also

centralizationWhat the last reorg was moving away from and the next one is named after.
decentralizationThe half of the pendulum currently swinging away from the slide that recommended the other half.
federated governanceCentral authority for writing the policy, local authority for ignoring it.
interoperabilityTerm struck pending the shared definitions, contracts, and identifiers two systems must agree on before they can be said to operate together at all.