Andmeid

Andmeid is the Estonian term for data, referring to facts, measurements, observations, or other informational units that are collected, stored, and used for reference, analysis, decision making, or communication. In everyday and professional contexts, andmed can denote anything from numerical statistics to textual records and multimedia content.

In Estonian grammar, andmed is a noun; the form andmeid is the partitive plural used after verbs that require a partitive object, for example koguda andmeid (to collect data) or analüüsida andmeid (to analyze data).

Data types include personal data (isikuandmed), metadata, structured data and unstructured data, as well as public data (avalikud andmed) and non-personal data. Data quality, provenance, and proper labeling are important for reliable use and responsible sharing, and there is an increasing emphasis on open data in many contexts.

Governance and privacy frameworks shape how andmed are managed. In the European Union, data handling is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Estonia’s data protection laws, enforced by the Data Protection Inspectorate. Data sharing is often coordinated through digital infrastructure such as X-Road, enabling secure cross-organization data exchange while preserving privacy and data integrity.

Data lifecycle covers collection, storage, processing, analysis, sharing, archiving, and secure deletion. Effective data governance emphasizes accuracy, security, access controls, consent where applicable, and auditability to support reliable decision making and compliance.