In implementation of the directives of the first team, Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior, Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Information Technology, and in the context of the efforts of the Information and Communications Technology Governance Committee to enhance and support the government sector technically, the Information and E -Government Authority announced the inauguration of the updated version of the open government data policy 2.0 through the official website of the Authority Iga.gov.bh, by providing a number of additions And the improvements to its items, with the aim of meeting the changing needs of users and compliance with local and international standards.
These changes and additions include “the creation of the open government data license”, which regulates the conditions and conditions in the use of open data published, whether through the Bahrain Gate of Open Data or through the sites of government agencies, with the addition of “the date of the issuance of data and tracking its change”, which enables users to access all previous copies of the data groups with mentioning the details of the date of publishing and the amendments that occurred.
The “Data Request Mechanism” was also developed that enables the public to evaluate the published data and submit their suggestions to add a new data collection, while providing “data download options” in multiple formulas with the ability to download databases in bulk or selectively based on what the user prefers.
Among the improvements included in the updated version 2.0, “Increase the Readable Data Makers” automatically such as JSOGSON and RDF formats along with the previously available formulas XML and CSV, taking into account international standards for the exchange of statistical data and descriptive data (SDMX), as well In open and automatically readable formulas, with “enhancing awareness initiatives” by urging government agencies to further encouraging activities to use open data such as hackon competitions, awareness campaigns and workshops, as well as “strengthening partnerships and public participation” by emphasizing cooperation and participation in data creation activities and evaluating them, while expanding the scope of beneficiaries and stakeholders (such as individuals, public and private sectors, Civil society organizations, and research institutions).
The policy was also improved in general by adding a record to track changes and amendments to the document, re -coordinate and structuring the content and formatting the presentation, and reformulating some words and phrases with the aim of clarifying and improving the understanding of items.
On the launch of the updated policy, the Executive Vice President of Operations and Governance of the Information and E -Government Authority d. Khaled Al -Mutawa said that the changes that were made to the policy are in line with the relevant local laws such as (the Law on the Protection of the State Information and Documents and the Personal Data Protection Law), as well as compatible with international standards and practices such as (ODIN) and the requirements of the United Nations included in the e -government development index (EGDI).
He indicated that the open government data policy 2.0 contributes and through its modified provisions to support innovation and enhance societal participation and achieve full transparency as it opens the way for the public from citizens and residents to express their opinions and proposals, which in turn contribute to improving government data, as well as the impact of policy development in providing multiple options for users by providing data in multiple formulas that support automatic reading of data, and facilitates linking them to systems And applications.
The Information and E -Government Authority called on all government agencies to view the policy, with the aim of taking it into consideration and applying them in projects, initiatives, services and operational operations they implement, and also called on developers and researchers to benefit from the open data provided by the government through the open data portal to implement and launch the leading and innovative projects, and the authority also encouraged everyone from the authorities and the public to initiate their opinions and suggestions on Updated government data policy 2.0 and contribute to improving and developing it.
It is worth noting that the open government data policy is one of the digital policies of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which was adopted by the Council of Ministers in October 2021, which represents a governmental commitment to enhance transparency and accountability by providing unimportant data to the public, which contributes to empowering citizens, researchers and entrepreneurs to access government information and use them in innovative ways to develop services and improve their quality in an effort to add more digital achievements of the Kingdom to enhance Its competition regionally and globally.
