When DPI was formed in 1963, it was known as the Data Processing Institute and was one of the five separate member institutes constituted by the Federal Institute of Management. The goal was to promote the effective application of data processing in service to all Canadians. As technology continued to evolve so did the role of the information professional such that we were no longer in just one corner of the public service but threaded throughout government, working in all aspects of information management and information technology.
In keeping with the changing times, in 1996 DPI launched its new name: the Association of Public Sector Information Professionals while keeping the DPI acronym, heralding a new era of development and activities for information professionals working in the public sector.
This also reflected the growing influence of technology and opened the door for many more public servants to become part of the organization. DPI remains a not-for-profit association dedicated to developing professionalism in the IM/IT public sector community.