What is Data Mapping?

What is Data Mapping and why is it essential?

Data mapping is the system of cataloging the data collected by an organization, how it is created, stored, used, processed, shared, archived, and destroyed within an organization.

Data mapping is a fundamental requirement for any organization’s operational needs:

• It allows organizations to organize, catalog and structure their stored data.
  
• It makes data management and protection a more efficient process for an organization – i.e riskier data can be provided additional protections.
  
• It enables organizations to keep a track of where their data is flowing which helps maintain adequate records of data processing activities including how data is being processed or stored, where it is transferred to and the risks associated with its processing.
  
• It allows organizations to easily access and find relevant data whenever required – allowing much better leveraging of the data for the organization’s operational needs. 

Many major privacy regulations, including the GDPR, also require organizations to record how they create, store, use, process, share, archive, and destroy data subjects’ personal data. 

Therefore, data maps are essential for organizations as they accurately and comprehensively record how personal data is being processed, stored, transferred by organizations. Data maps also provide a bird’s eye view of personal data management and privacy risks. 

Data mapping is a baseline exercise that every organization must carry out to handle data subjects’ personal data and comply with various global privacy regulations.