Baku holds conference on “Open Government Data”

Conference on   “Open Government Data” was held in Baku, which was organized by the Ministry of Communications and High Technologies (MCHT).

The event was attended by some 60 representatives of public and private agencies. Presentations were made and discussions were held on open data - www.data.gov.az, which is considered a new stage of development in the formation of e-government.

The portal www.data.gov.az, created in 2015 by Data Processing Center (DPC) as part of the portal Electronic Government, includes information for obtaining access to the collection of government bodies and additional resources.

Through the portal, users can easily find, download and use the information generated by government bodies. The open data presented in accordance with existing legislation is regularly updated and improved.

The main purpose of the portal www.data.gov.az  is the use of information and to create opportunity for the society to participate in public administration through the creation of web and mobile applications on their basis. At the same time, it provides for the creation of opportunities for easy access to open government data, creation of added value, promoting innovative ideas, simplification of analysis and research, facilitating transparency in the work of  government, as well as effective and efficient in the work of government bodies.

Addressing the conference, Deputy Minister of Communications and High Technologies Elmir Velizade said consistent policy has been implemented in this direction for several years.

Touching upon  important points related to the  placement of data on the portal, Elmir Velizade stressed that this process is based on such fundamental principles as freedom, data integrity, obtaining information from primary sources, non-exclusivity.

Director of DPC Elnar Asadov made a presentation on “Open Government Data Portal” saying the portal was organized in accordance with stable, safe and standards. Elnar Asadov said currently the portal features open data on 25 services of six agencies, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (8),  Ministry of Communications and High Technologies (7),  Ministry of Health (4),  Ministry of Justice (1),  State Customs Committee (4) and Azersu OJSC (1).

Talking about future plans, Elnar Asadov said this includes goals such as improving legal, technical and normative acts; integration of governmental and non-governmental agencies into the open data portal data.gov.az; stimulation of activity  of start-ups and entrepreneurs in order to increase the impact of open government  data on the economy; strengthening  the promotion and encouragement of  open data by  government and non-governmental bodies.

Then, the special representative of the Platform “Digital Austria” Christian Roop spoke of  the experience of the Austrian Government in the field of open government data.

The expert noted that the concentration of open data in a single space offers an easy way to their availability, at the same time the result of long-term process of implementation particularly affects the authority and rating of countries.

Also, giving recommendations to his Azerbaijani colleagues, Christian Roop noted the need to implement measures in the direction of attracting a large number of stakeholders to the portal.

It was also noted at the conference that after full opening of the necessary data for the users, positive results such as savings in government expenditure, increasing support for entrepreneurship, ensuring transparency in the management, promotion of start-ups, growth in the number of electronic services, as well as increasing Azerbaijan’s rating in the UN reports  “E-government Development Index” and “E-participation index” will be achieved.

The conference was concluded with discussions and answering questions from participants.