data jungle adventures

Harnessing Open Data: Is centralised better? Saudi Arabia’s Unified Approach

In an era where data drives decisions, the importance of open data in governance and public engagement cannot be overstated. Historically, Saudi Arabian government bodies operated independent open data platforms, fragmenting information and complicating public access. The recent consolidation into a single platform marks a transformative step in data accessibility and transparency.

The shift to a unified open data platform is a strategic move by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to streamline data management and enhance public access. Spearheaded by the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), this initiative aims to centralize and standardize data dissemination across the government.

Previously 63 primarily public entities where hosting open or semi-public data in segregated data silos accross the following 16 sectors:

  1. Statistics and Data: General Authority for Statistics.
  2. Environment, Water, and Agriculture: Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture; Saudi Geological Survey.
  3. Health: Ministry of Health.
  4. Governance and Regional Cooperation: Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council; Ministry of Interior departments; Ministry of Finance divisions.
  5. Social Welfare and Insurance: General Organization for Social Insurance; Human Resources Development Fund; Saudi Red Crescent Authority.
  6. Education and Training: Ministry of Education; Technical and Vocational Training Corporation.
  7. Commerce and Industry: Ministry of Commerce; Saudi Arabian Airlines Organization; Saudi Industrial Development Fund; Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.
  8. Financial and Monetary Policy: Saudi Central Bank; Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority ZATCA.
  9. Postal and Communication Services: Saudi Post; Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC).
  10. Tourism and Culture: Ministry of Tourism; Ministry of Media.
  11. Transport and Infrastructure: Ministry of Transportation; Saudi Railways Organization; Saudi Ports Authority.
  12. Energy: Ministry of Energy; Saline Water Conversion Corporation.
  13. Regulatory and Quality Standards: Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization; General Authority for Food and Drug Administration.
  14. Research and Development: King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center.
  15. Public Administration: Institute of Public Administration; Saudi Press Agency.
  16. Investment: Ministry of Investment.

The New Open Data Platform

The new platform serves as a comprehensive repository of government data, offering advanced search capabilities, user-friendly interfaces, and real-time data updates. It represents a critical component of Saudi Vision 2030’s digital transformation goals, promoting efficiency and innovation.

The Saudi Open Data platform contains 7,598 datasets of 222 organisations. The datasets cover a wide range of topics including finance, social insurance, health, environmnet, education, employment, transport, and many others, which cater to different aspects of public and governmental interest allowing users to:

  • Access and download datasets in various formats (e.g., CSV, XLSX, JSON, XML).
  • Explore data through interactive visualizations , maps or dashboards.
  • Utilize APIs for programmatic access to datasets.
  • Provide metadata and documentation for each dataset to understand the data context and structure.
  • Participate in forums or community discussions related to data usage and applications.

Furthermore municipality mapping services are available accross differnt scales.

While the platform is still under active development, and data sets are being added, a National Data Bank is equally under development. This National Data Bank (NDB) is a group of interconnected national data platforms that aim to improve the quality of data in the Kingdom, enhance its sharing between entities, and contribute to building a data-based digital economy. The scope includes data sharing between organisations and public entities.

Real time API

The Saudi Open Data Portal’s page on Real-Time API guidelines provides instructions and information on how to use APIs to access data in real time from the portal. It outlines steps for authentication, making requests, and interpreting the responses. Additionally, it likely includes best practices for utilizing the API effectively, ensuring that users can integrate live data feeds into their applications or analyses. However most data sources link directly to the data host (ministries and similar) and their API documentation. This shows that consolidation efforts on data standards and hosting are still in progress.

Benefits of Consolidation

Consolidating data platforms enhances user experience and data quality. It simplifies access for researchers, policymakers, and the public, fostering greater civic engagement and informed decision-making. Additionally, it aligns with global best practices in data governance, setting a benchmark for other nations.

Creating a connected database on a national level that incorporates financial, medical, environmental, political, and other data is a very powerful tool that does not come without risks.

  1. Security: Centralizing data increases the risk of a single point of failure. Cyberattacks could lead to significant breaches, affecting multiple datasets simultaneously.
  2. Anonymity: There is a risk of de-anonymization if datasets contain enough detail that individuals can be identified, either directly or through cross-referencing with other data.
  3. Data Misuse: Open data can be misused for purposes contrary to public interest, such as discrimination or unfair commercial practices.
  4. Quality and Integrity: Ensuring the accuracy and consistency of large volumes of data can be challenging, and misinformation can have widespread consequences.

Despite its benefits, the consolidation process involves significant challenges, including ensuring data security, protecting privacy, and overcoming technical hurdles related to data integration and standardization, which some of the efforts remaining incomplete (standardized API).

Looking forward, the open data platform is poised for further enhancements. Anticipated developments could include more personalized data interaction capabilities and broader integration with international data systems.

Conclusion

The consolidation of open data platforms in Saudi Arabia represents a significant advancement in the Kingdom’s data-driven governance approach. As this platform evolves, it promises to further bridge the gap between government and citizen, paving the way for a more informed and engaged public.

Contributing authorities

ArabicEnglishURL
الهيئة العامة للإحصاءGeneral Authority for Statisticsstats.gov.sa
وزارة البيئة والمياه والزراعةMinistry of Environment, Water and Agriculturemewa.gov.sa
وزارة الصحةMinistry of Healthmoh.gov.sa
الأمانة العامة لمجلس التعاونSecretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Councilgcc-sg.org
المؤسسة العامة للتأمينات الاجتماعيةGeneral Organization for Social Insurancegosi.gov.sa
وزارة التعليمMinistry of Educationmoe.gov.sa
وزارة التجارةMinistry of Commercemc.gov.sa
الهيئة العامة للأرصاد وحماية البيئةGeneral Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Promewa.gov.sa
البنك المركزي السعوديSaudi Central Banksama.gov.sa
مؤسسة البريد السعوديSaudi Postsp.com.sa
وزارة الداخليةMinistry of Interiormoi.gov.sa
المؤسسة العامة للتدريب التقني والمهنيTechnical and Vocational Training Corporationtvtc.gov.sa
الخطوط الحديدية السعوديةSaudi Railways Organizationsro.org.sa
وزارة الشؤون البلدية والقروية والإسكانMinistry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housingwww.momra.gov.sa
وزارة التعليمMinistry of Educationwww.moe.gov.sa
وزارة الطاقةMinistry of Energywww.moenergy.gov.sa
وزارة البيئة والمياه والزراعةMinistry of Environment, Water, and Agriculturewww.mewa.gov.sa
وزارة الماليةMinistry of Financewww.mof.gov.sa
وزارة الخارجيةMinistry of Foreign Affairswww.mofa.gov.sa
وزارة الحج والعمرةMinistry of Hajj and Umrahwww.haj.gov.sa
وزارة الصحةMinistry of Healthwww.moh.gov.sa
وزارة الموارد البشرية والتنمية الاجتماعيةMinistry of Human Resources and Social Developmentwww.hrsd.gov.sa
وزارة الصناعة والثروة المعدنيةMinistry of Industry and Mineral Resourceswww.mim.gov.sa
وزارة الداخليةMinistry of Interiorwww.moi.gov.sa
وزارة الاستثمارMinistry of Investmentwww.misa.gov.sa
وزارة العدلMinistry of Justicewww.moj.gov.sa
وزارة الإعلامMinistry of Mediawww.media.gov.sa
وزارة الشؤون البلدية والقروية والإسكانMinistry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housingwww.momrah.gov.sa
وزارة الرياضةMinistry of Sportwww.mos.gov.sa
وزارة السياحةMinistry of Tourismwww.mt.gov.sa
وزارة النقل والخدمات اللوجستيةMinistry of Transport and Logistic Serviceswww.mot.gov.sa

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Philipp R
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