Conference on the spread of open data held
Within the framework of the Smart Governance project, the government agencies are to stop the usage of paper by 2020. According to a survey conducted by the project there is open source data in Mongolia, but it is clear that the demands are poor. U.Byambasuren, deputy head of the Cabinet Secretariat, pointed out that “this should first come from the political leader and government agency levels” at the readiness assessment meeting of the Smart Governance held at the MNU library on November 13.
Open data is information that can be used freely, re-used and redistributed by anyone. The conference elaborated on the importance of information being shared online through public domains for the people of Mongolia.
The survey covered the scope of the study to determine the spread of open data amongst 40 different organizations. The results concluded with eight evaluations that were colored red to green. The red suggests that the implementation of open data is necessary for the organization. Green means that there is a chance for it to be implemented. Some organizations have published data through their websites.
G.Amarsanaa, head advisor of the survey, said, “Generally, government organizations lack experience regarding the open data authorization of public bodies in the policy environment. Data management policy is still missing. Additionally, people leave their personal information easily available. We have no legal barriers when it comes to discussing open data within the information transparency and freedom of information law. On the other hand, we need data protection laws. There is a lot of work to do to empower the people to use open source data. It is on high demand. For instance eBarimt data can be used to generate many other useful information too.”
Instead of leaving their data to collect dust, government agencies should make it available to researchers and IT engineers so that it can be put to good use. U.Umbasuren said, “There is a lot of data collected by the government agencies such as the State Property Policy, Regulation Authority and the General Authority for State Registration. Open data is document and information. Mongolia is rated high in terms of internet and cellular phone usage among developing countries. Still, the demand for open data is low. The need for compiling data is relatively small. This event is being held today (November 13) in order to introduce open data gathered by public bodies to our country on a level in which it can compete with that of other countries. Within the scope of intelligent governance, there is a great deal of evidence in the public sector. All of this should be offered to the people.”
The conference participants further highlighted how the Mongolian people are deprived of and is thirsty for information. This includes more than just technological specialists. A board member of ITools stated, “We are locked in traffic jam for two hours. For example, information should be installed in bus card chips too. Afterwards, the flow of traffic will also be evident through its usage. Research based data is essential. There are 4.5 zgb of data on the planet. Zgb is four billion times more than gb. This massive amount of data cannot be developed by just humans themselves. The machine processes this information. To do this, open data should be available.”
...“Generally, government organizations lack experience regarding the open data authorization of public bodies in the policy environment. Data management policy
is still missing...”