RIYADH: Local and global experts will convene in Riyadh for a forum exploring open data in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority and the National Transformation Program are jointly launching the country’s first National Data Index, along with a developed version of the Open Data Platform and the Data Governance Platform.
Scheduled for Monday, the forum aims to support the Kingdom’s efforts in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030. The event will be attended by ministers, senior officials, and representatives from local and international companies.
These three programs, the first of their kind in the country, align with the objectives of the NTP, a key element of Vision 2030. They aim to enhance integrity and create a data-driven national economy.
The forum, aligned with Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation journey, will feature panel discussions with 13 local and international data specialists. They will highlight the importance of open data and discuss the latest trends and approaches in dealing with it.
Saudi Arabia’s “Open Data Strategy” aims to provide high-value and reusable open data to increase transparency and foster innovation through collaboration, enabling a data-driven economy.
This will be achieved through implementing 26 initiatives, including awareness and capability building, local and international partnerships, and technology and infrastructure uplift.
Open data has been fundamental in the rise of companies and products across public and private sectors.
According to the World Bank, a study by the McKinsey Global Institute estimated that open data used in seven sectors of the economy could create $3 trillion to $5 trillion annually in economic value worldwide.
It stated: “The direct, annual economic value of open government data has been estimated in two different studies as up to 40 billion euros throughout the European Union and close to 2 billion pounds in the UK.”
