# Purpose and Scope Most City technology standards focus on cybersecurity, compliance, or procurement requirements. While these are critical, they do not ensure that the underlying data systems are modern, usable, or effective for the staff who rely on them. The purpose of this guide is to define the baseline capabilities that make a data system reliable, easy to use, and adaptable for the City’s operational and analytical needs. These requirements are intended to: * Improve interoperability and reduce silos between departments * Enable automation and reduce repetitive manual work * Support collaborative development and transparency * Allow for faster, more secure delivery of new services and enhancements * Ensure scalability and sustainability by leveraging modern architectures ### When to apply this guide This guide should be incorporated when **procuring, developing or significantly upgrading** data systems. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://sfdigitalservices.gitbook.io/data-systems-guide/purpose-and-scope.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.