Allowing IATI-data to constitute a resilient, growing web of data and information, we must allow organisational links to be initiated from any point. This means that any IATI-reporting partner should be expected to identify partner-organisations by means of the valid IATI-method (pinpointing legal entities) regardless of any decision on the side of that partner – whether the partner is reporting or not, or using that excact org_id as IATI-identifier or not.
In order for this to happen, and work to our advantage, any IATI-reporting organisation should publish information on any ‘legal entity’ they represent. For each of these legal entities, it must furthermore be registered whether they are IATI-reporting on their own, or forms part of the data published under the overarching organisational entity.
This will allow the data-web to be tied, constructed, from any point of departure, whether or not the partner with the ‘Funding role’ is reporting in IATI-format – or is reporting under another identity.
Furthermore, it will allow larger organisations to delegate reporting responsibilities to e.g. ‘country offices’ that are, anyways, responsible for data and data quality-issues, as long as these offices are legal entities, without losing out on the recognition of the unity of the ‘global’ organisation.
Technically speaking, it would also constitute a more robust Master Data Management approach, and allow for easier transitions in the future – compared to the quite cumbersome, current instruction on how to label all elements in the activity-file, in case a reporting org_id is changed.