Mission & Alignment

Background
The EDM Association is a neutral, non-profit industry data management and analytics trade association. The Council's mission is to serve as global advocates for elevating data management and analytics through best practices, standards, training, education, and research.
Purpose
To provide a neutral forum for industry and public sector interfacing that promotes best practices in leveraging data for decision-making and operations.
Mission
Foster opportunities for networking, strengthening relationships, and collaboration among public sector organizations, industry partners, and the global data management community.

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EDMA Submits Written Input to the SEC-CFTC Joint Harmonization Initiative

October 1, 2026

The EDM Association (EDMA) submitted written input to SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins and CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig in support of the SEC-CFTC Joint Harmonization Initiative. The paper, Data Management Best Practices for Regulatory Harmonization, builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the two Commissions on March 11, 2026.

The MOU commits both agencies to streamline regulatory reporting and work toward compatible data standards. Our submission examines what that means at the level of individual data elements and offers practices already in production across the financial industry and parts of the federal government.

EDMA's 5 Recommendations

Identify entities and products consistently.

Adopt the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) and prefer open ISO standards for products and instruments.

Harmonize meaning, not just format.

Use shared, machine-readable definitions built on the Financial Industry Business Ontology (FIBO), and map each agency's existing fields to them.

Build on governed, trusted data foundations.

Use established frameworks such as DCAM and CDMC to set shared expectations for data quality, lineage, and controls.

Align with FDTA implementation.

Run the Initiative and the Financial Data Transparency Act work as one effort, so common standards are adopted once.

Test before finalizing.

Validate harmonization measures through public-private collaboration and digital twin simulation.

 📄 Download the Written-Input

For discussion, not legal advice.

EDMA's FDTA One-Page Resource

New • July 2026 • PDF

Meeting the Financial Data Transparency Act

How the EDM Association helps agencies achieve mission success

The final FDTA joint rule was published June 25, 2026 and takes effect October 1, 2026. It adopts the Legal Entity Identifier and other open identifiers, and sets a principles-based standard requiring searchable, machine-readable data with metadata in taxonomy or ontology models that define semantic meaning. This one-pager maps what the rule asks for to the resources our members already use.

Governing the data, giving it meaning, standardizing the report, and identifying entities and instruments are four different problems.
No single standard solves them. The EDM Association convenes the standards that do.

What's Included

DCAM v3 and CDMC • Data & Analytics

A governed, trusted data foundation, and 14 key controls for sensitive data in cloud and AI, now extended with AI controls for ethics, performance, and risk.

FIBO and the Commons Ontology Library • OMG Standards

Shared, machine-readable meaning for financial entities and instruments, on a reusable cross-domain foundation that extends consistent meaning beyond finance to any agency domain.

SBRM • OMG Standards

A logical model of a report, so a filing in any syntax such as XBRL, JSON, or RDF can be machine-validated and its fields linked to FIBO.

LEI • Open Identifiers

Common, open, non-proprietary identification of entities, maintained by GLEIF and mapped in FIBO.

FinTwins • Digital Twin

Modeling and simulation of financial processes, risk, and settlement, readying public sector data for a simulation-ready, AI-forward environment.

đź“„ Download the One-Pager

For discussion, not legal advice.

Latest Discussions in U.S. Public Sector Forum

  • Profile Picture

    EDM Association Submits Written Input to the SEC-CFTC Joint Harmonization Initiative

    By: Alex Izotic , 11 days ago

    EDM Association Submits Written Input to the SEC-CFTC Joint Harmonization Initiative October 1, 2026 Today, the EDM Association (EDMA) submitted written input to SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins and CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig in support of the SEC-CFTC Joint Harmonization Initiative . The paper, Data Management Best Practices for Regulatory Harmonization , builds on the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two Commissions on March 11, 2026. The MOU commits both agencies to streamline regulatory reporting and work toward compatible data standards. Our submission examines what that means at the level of individual data elements, and offers practices already in production across the financial industry and parts of the federal government. Our five recommendations: Identify entities and products consistently. Adopt the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) and prefer open ISO standards for products and instruments. Harmonize meaning, not just ...

  • Profile Picture

    US Public Sector Forum Meeting - 19th August - Key Takeaways

    By: Teresa Sarubbi , one month ago

    US Public Sector Forum – 19 th August - Key Takeaways 🤖✨ This session focused on the EDM Association's draft recommendations for the SEC-CFTC Harmonization MOU, exploring how stronger data foundations, open standards, and semantic alignment can support regulatory modernization and interoperability. · Interoperability and shared standards: Participants reviewed recommendations focused on improving interoperability, regulatory reporting, digital assets, and trusted data foundations through greater standards alignment. · Expanding the use of open standards: The discussion explored incorporating standards and frameworks beyond ISO, including FIBO, OMG, and W3C, to support more consistent and connected approaches. · Semantic alignment is critical: Establishing consistent, shared meaning across agencies was identified as an important step toward improving interoperability and regulatory harmonization. ...

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    RE: Member Call to Action: Supporting Interoperability & Data Standards in the SEC–CFTC ...

    By: Alex Izotic , 2 months ago

    EDMA's Draft Written Input on the SEC-CFTC Harmonization MOU is open for Member review and input. It offers five recommendations: Adopt the LEI (Legal Entity Identifier) as the common entity identifier and prefer open ISO standards for products and instruments' Harmonize meaning, not just format, using FIBO (Financial Industry Business Ontology) for shared machine-readable definitions Set shared data quality and governance expectations using DCAM (Data Management Capabilities Assessment Model) and CDMC (Cloud Data Management Capabilities) best practice frameworks Run the SEC-CFTC Harmonization Initiative and FDTA (Financial Data Transparency Act) implementation as one effort, on one timeline Test harmonization measures with industry through digital twin simulation before finalization Three ways for your organization or agency to weigh in by August 21: Submit feedback on the draft: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/6UZbADnCcf Add ...

  • Profile Picture

    Member Call to Action: Supporting Interoperability & Data Standards in the SEC–CFTC Harmonization ...

    By: Alex Izotic , 2 months ago

    US PUBLIC SECTOR FORUM · MEMBER CALL TO ACTION Supporting Interoperability & Data Standards in the SEC–CFTC Harmonization MOU Member input and co-signatures requested by August 21, 2026. On March 11, 2026, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen cross-agency coordination, reduce operational friction, and support market innovation. The EDM Association welcomes this initiative, and we support Chairmen Atkins and Selig in their commitment to aligning oversight across both agencies. A key priority in the agreement-highlighted in Article V, Paragraph 3-focuses on practical data interoperability, compatible data standards, and joint analytical tools. To support both Commissions in bringing these principles to life, the EDM Association, led by President John Bottega, is preparing a constructive, practitioner-focused statement. We encourage our Members ...

  • Profile Picture

    Deadline Extended! Global Data Management Benchmark

    By: Michelle Eliseo , 10 months ago

    Your participation is requested! The EDM Association community is invited to take our biennial survey and contribute to the next Global Data Management Benchmark Study. Help assess the global state of data management and how it is progressing, especially in our rapidly evolving world of AI, digital transformation and regulation. The survey follows the structure of DCAM v3. An initial snapshot of the results will be published in December, with the full report available in Q1 2026. Take the 2025 Benchmark Survey before December 31st. Thank you! ------------------------------ Michelle Eliseo Managing Director, Marketing EDM Association - Paragon PR NY ------------------------------

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    RE: CDMC + GovRAMP

    By: Alex Izotic , 11 months ago

    Hi Christopher, Thank you for starting this important conversation. CDMC and GovRAMP serve distinct yet complementary purposes. CDMC emphasizes data governance and ethical management, while GovRAMP focuses on cloud security authorization. The EDM Association is currently in dialogue with GovRAMP to explore alignment opportunities. It would be great to hear how others, especially those in the public sector, are approaching this intersection. ------------------------------ Alexandra Izotic Member Support Manager EDM Council aizotic@edmcouncil.org ------------------------------

Past US Public Sector Forum meetings

Member Discussion on the SEC–CFTC Harmonization MOU

August 2026

The discussion explored the EDM Association's draft recommendations for the SEC-CFTC Harmonization MOU, focusing on interoperability, regulatory reporting, digital assets, open standards, semantic alignment, and trusted data foundations. Participants discussed how frameworks such as DCAM, CDMC for AI, FIBO, and NIST can support regulatory modernization, while also exploring opportunities to align harmonization efforts with FDTA requirements and industry test beds. The session was interactive, with members sharing feedback and discussing recommendations to strengthen the written submission.

Trusted data requirements for today’s federal mandates

July 2026

EDM Association’s US Public Sector Forum hosted an open discussion on the data foundations behind today’s major federal mandates, including the FDTA, the June AI Executive Order, and OMB M-25-06’s zero-trust architecture and AI governance requirements. Panelists John Bottega, David Blaszkowsky, Alex Izotic, and Peter Warms explored how agencies are activating these initiatives, whether staff and contractors are equipped to meet them, and what tools accelerate compliance. The conversation also covered DCAM’s role in advancing data management maturity and how the Legal Entity Identifier and FIBO help agencies satisfy these requirements. The session was interactive, with attendees sharing their own experiences building governed, machine-readable data environments.

The future of data transparency: updates from the Data Foundation

April 2025

Ashley Nelle-Davis of the Data Foundation joined the forum to discuss the nonprofit’s work advancing evidence-informed policymaking and improving the availability, reliability, and transparency of federal data. She traced the legislative path from the 2014 Digital Accountability and Transparency Act through the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act and the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA), and introduced the Data Foundation’s Safe Track initiative for monitoring federal policy changes. In a fireside chat with EDM Association President John Bottega, Nelle-Davis discussed how the FDTA is reshaping regulatory compliance and the role of data standards in strengthening transparency. Alex Izotic opened the meeting with an update on EDM Association’s mission and public sector membership, which includes agencies such as USDA, GAO, NASA, and the Department of Commerce.

Combating and measuring fraud: GAO’s use of ontology

February 2025

GAO’s Leia Dickerson and Nick Weeks presented the Government Accountability Office’s Fraud Ontology, developed with EDM Association’s Data Innovation Lab as part of GAO’s Antifraud Resource. The ontology establishes a shared vocabulary for describing fraud across federal agencies, addressing a lack of consistent terminology GAO identified in its oversight work. The session walked through how classes, subclasses, individuals, and properties are structured within the ontology, and demonstrated practical use through the Protege tool and SPARQL querying, followed by an open Q&A and forum discussion.

Arizona: using data to transform state government

January 2025

State of Arizona CDAO Josh Wagner, Arizona DHS Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Susan Robinson, and Arizona DEQ CDAO Brandon McIver joined the forum’s inaugural Knowledge Series session to describe how their agencies use data to drive transformational change. The panel discussed Arizona’s approach to data governance, performance measurement, and cross-agency collaboration, sparking a lively exchange of questions and experiences from attendees. The session also marked the formal launch of the US Public Sector Forum (established October 17, 2024) and previewed February’s meeting on GAO’s fraud ontology.