PEO EIS CIO Mike Chappell (pictured) is working closely with DASA(DES) software systems architect Dan Andrews on UDRA. (U.S. Army photo by Susan McGovern)
Erika Christ, PEO EIS Strategic Communication Directorate September 18, 2023
U.S. Army Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems is working closely with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Data, Engineering and Software on the initial version of its Unified Data Reference Architecture, which aims to establish the Army’s enterprise mesh services.
According to PEO EIS Chief Information Officer Mike Chappell, he and DASA(DES) software systems architect Dan Andrew met in April and, as engineers, “geeked out.” They agreed to bring their teams together to discuss UDRA — and eventually other data modernization hot topics like referential and application architectures and the quality assurance process.
The UDRA is expected to unify principles and efforts for data mesh and fabric, which are essential concepts in modern data management that enable the Army to effectively and efficiently handle and use its vast amounts of data.
According to the UDRA, a data mesh refers to a decentralized approach to data architecture, where data product ownership and responsibility are distributed across different domains, teams and individuals within an organization. Instead of having a centralized data platform, a data mesh empowers teams to have control over their data products and make data-driven decisions. It allows for self-serve analytics and democratizes data product access, empowering teams to directly access, manage and control their own data products while sharing them within the organization.