Why use open data and what are the benefits?
On 6-7 December civil servants, together with Estonian experts, in the format of a creative laboratory, discussed the metrics for measuring the needs of stakeholders in open data, the types of information that are important to place in the public domain, about their benefits and prospects for society and the economy. The event was organized by the Astana Civil Service Hub (Hub) together with the Ministry of Information and Public Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Graduate School of Public Policy of Nazarbayev University.
The training was organized following an extensive review of open data policies and practices in Estonia, Canada, the European Union (EU) and Kazakhstan, highlighting specific datasets that can be classified as open data and can generate significant economic and social benefits, most clearly demonstrating the shared value of open data for policymaking by government agencies and for businesses in the private sector.
Alikhan Baimenov, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Astana Civil Service Hub, and Daniyar Kadirov, Vice Minister of Information and Social Development of Kazakhstan, participated in the opening of the event.
In his speech, А. Baimenov noted that "information collected and processed by the state should be open and accessible to citizens and businesses, and this is a requirement of modern public administration." He further emphasized that “open data can also become a tool to increase public confidence in the state, fight corruption and fakes.” Also, he emphasized that “such laws as "Open Data", "Shared Access to Data" operate in developed countries.
Vice Minister D. Kadirov said that the open data policy plays a crucial role in increasing transparency and expanding the rights of citizens to public access to information. “Our primary task is to increase the demand for open data from the public, business and the research community, as well as motivate civil servants to post high-quality open data on time,” said Daniyar Kadirov.
The training discussed such issues as the concept of Open Data, its benefits and what it can be used for, as well as international experience, including strategy and legal models. Participants discussed the risks of abuse faced by companies with respect to open data. In addition, the open data portal of Kazakhstan was considered in detail and ways for its further development were discussed, taking into account the experience of Canada, the European Union and Estonia. Participants received guidance on effective policy development and implementation, as well as the opportunity to discuss and analyze challenges and issues.
