Open Government Data

A collection of data provided by government agencies to the public, to be used and redistributed freely without technological, financial or legal restrictions, while adhering to the terms of the open data license. This data aims to:

• Enhance transparency and support citizens' participation in decision-making.
• Improve the efficiency and quality of government services.
• Contribute to encouraging innovation and creativity.
• Open new horizons for investment.
• Create diverse economic opportunities.
• Enable individuals and institutions to integrate multiple data sources to consolidate knowledge.

Open government data is an effective tool for reducing the gap between the government and the community, as it allows citizens and specialists to use open data in various ways, such as:

• Understanding the mechanisms of government agencies better.
• Evaluating the performance of government agencies and supporting public accountability.
• Using data to support research, prepare reports, and provide constructive feedback.
• Developing innovative applications and technological solutions based on data analysis.

Many government agencies publish their data openly to support multiple goals, including:

• Enhancing transparency.
• Stimulating economic growth.
• Supporting technological and social innovation.

Referring to the Council of Ministers' Decision No. (292) dated 27/04/1441 AH, which states in paragraph (1) of Article (10) that "SDAIA shall set policies, governance mechanisms, and controls related to data and artificial intelligence, and monitor compliance therewith upon issuance." SDAIA sets a number of national controls for data management, governance, and personal data protection, which government agencies are expected to work on. The scope of the national data management and governance controls and personal data protection extends to private sector partners dealing with government data, who are responsible for understanding and applying these controls to all data they receive or handle, regardless of its source, form, or nature. This includes paper records, meetings, communications via social media and applications, email messages, data stored on electronic media, audio or video tapes, maps, pictures, manuscripts, handwritten documents, or any other form of recorded data. 

• For more information, click here.

Electronic Participation Controls

This document reinforces the trend of community participation and interaction with beneficiaries, which is one of the main objectives of government agencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to Saudi Vision 2030, which included in its axes the support of communication channels between government agencies on one side and citizens and the private sector on the other, facilitating interaction through smart means, and listening to the opinions of all citizens and understanding their different perspectives.

• For more information, click here.

Open Data Legislation

The open data field consists of 5 controls and 10 specifications, which are a set of specific public information available to the public for free and without restrictions through a national open data platform. Any individual or public or private entity can use or share such data. 

The field of freedom of information consists of 4 controls and 9 specifications, which are a set of provisions and procedures that regulate the exercise of the right to access and obtain public information related to the activities of government agencies and promote the principle of transparency and the freedom to circulate this information.

Based on Saudi Arabia's commitment to the principle of transparency and enhancing citizens' access to reliable sources of government data, comprehensive policies and regulations have been developed to organize this vital field. The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) is the entity responsible for regulating and managing data at the national level.

SDAIA has developed a national data governance framework, which serves as a cornerstone for regulating and directing policies and regulations related to data, aiming to achieve the highest standards of efficiency and transparency. This framework includes:

• Data Classification Policies: To ensure the protection of sensitive information and determine access levels according to its importance.
• Data Sharing Policies: To encourage data flow between government and private entities to enhance institutional integration.
• Data Privacy Legislation: To ensure the protection of individuals' rights and maintain the confidentiality of their personal information.
• Information Freedom Laws: To guarantee individuals' right to access government information easily and transparently.
• Open Data Policies: To support the publication of government data in a manner that allows for its use for innovation and research, and stimulating the digital economy.

These policies are part of a comprehensive national vision aimed at enhancing Saudi Arabia's position as a leading center in the field of data management and digital innovation, with full readiness to keep pace with any future legislative developments that support this strategic direction.

Key Principles of Open Data

Open data policies are based on a set of key principles of open data that ensure transparency, innovation promotion, and community participation in benefiting from data. These principles are represented in the following:

• Accessibility as an Origin: Publishing data and making it accessible to everyone is the basic rule, unless there are legal or security justifications that prevent its publication.
• Open and Machine-Readable Format: Data should be provided in open formats that facilitate machine processing, and thus supporting ease of use and analysis by various parties.
• Data Timeliness: Ensuring the provision of regularly updated data to guarantee its accuracy and suitability for effective use.
• Data Inclusiveness: Ensuring the availability of a wide range of data covering various fields to meet diverse user needs.
• Equality of Access: Providing data to all individuals without discrimination, ensuring equal opportunities in its use and benefit.
• Free Access: Providing open data without any financial cost, thus enhancing opportunities for widespread access and use.
• Open Data License in Saudi Arabia: Applying a clear and transparent license that defines the terms of data use, while respecting intellectual property rights, and ensuring responsible use.
• Development of Governance Model and Citizen Engagement: Enhancing citizen participation in developing open data policies, ensuring the integration of efforts between various relevant agencies.
• Supporting Comprehensive Development and Innovation: Leveraging open data as an effective tool to support economic and social development and stimulate innovation in various sectors.

These principles reflect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's commitment to providing an open data environment that enables individuals and institutions to achieve maximum benefit and thereby contributing to enhancing transparency and sustainable growth.

Controls and Specifications for Open Data

In the context of enhancing data governance and ensuring its efficient management at the national level, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), through the National Data Management Office (NDMO), has developed an integrated data governance framework called the Controls and Specifications for Open Data. This framework serves as the national reference for organizing data management, governance, and personal data protection in Saudi Arabia and has received official approval from the SDAIA's Board of Directors.

This framework outlines the policies and controls that govern national data management, where it defines the legal rules and obligations related to all public data and information produced by the government agencies, regardless of their source, form or nature. It also establishes the legal foundations and minimum standards required for publishing the government datasets in a manner that ensures transparency and easy access.

The Regulations distributes the roles and responsibilities among various related agencies, including:

• Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA): The entity responsible for the overall supervision and regulation of data policies.
• National Data Management Office (NDMO): The entity responsible for setting the technical and operational controls and specifications for open data.
• National Information Center (NIC): The executive body responsible for the technological infrastructure and data-related technical support.

The regulations also require all government agencies to develop strategic open data plans that include identifying publishable datasets, maintenance mechanisms, performance monitoring, and ensuring compliance with governance standards. The National Data Management Office (NDMO) has adopted a set of controls and specifications for open data, which consists of:

• Five Controls for Open Data

The National Data Management Office (NDMO) has adopted controls aimed at organizing the process of managing and publishing data in a way that ensures transparency and ease of access, while maintaining data protection and individual rights, which include:

• Data Availability Control: 

Stipulates that the default for government data is availability to everyone unless there are legal or security considerations that prevent its publications. Government agencies must provide data in a manner that ensures ease of access and use.

• Data Quality Control: 

Obligates government agencies to ensure data accuracy, update, completeness, and reliability, making it usable in various fields.

• Data Protection Control: 

Specifies the necessary measures to protect data from any illegal use, while considering individual privacy and ensuring government agencies comply with relevant laws and regulations regarding personal data protection.

• Transparency and Accountability Control: 

Ensures the clarity of data publishing mechanisms and usage policies, while clearly defining the responsibilities of government agencies in managing open data and ensuring accountability for any breaches of the controls.

• Ease of Access and Reuse Control: 

Stipulates that data should be published in open and machine-readable formats, with clear licenses that allow users to freely reuse and distribute the data without undue restrictions.

These controls contribute to creating an open data environment that fosters innovation and supports informed decision-making.

Technical Specifications for Open Data

These technical specifications are an essential part of the national data governance framework developed by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). These specifications aim to ensure the publication of government data in a manner that guarantees ease of access and use, enhancing transparency and innovation. Key specifications include:

• Open and Machine-Readable Formats: 

Data should be published in open formats, such as CSV or JSON, making it easy to process and use by developers and researchers.

• Use of Metadata Standards: 

Metadata should be included with each dataset, such as publication date, data source, and updates, to facilitate understanding of content and context.

• Regular Updates: 

Data should be regularly updated to ensure its currency and accuracy, with clear schedules for updates.

• Comprehensive Documentation: 

Providing explanatory documents that outline the data structure, used terminology, and any abbreviations, ensuring ease of understanding and use.

• Quality Assurance: 

Ensuring that data is free of errors and that it is complete and accurate before publication.

• Accessibility: 

Providing data on easily accessible platforms and considering providing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to facilitate integration with other systems.

• Compliance with International Standards: 

Following international standards and protocols in data publishing to ensure compatibility and ease of use on a broad scale.

• Clear Licensing: 

Clearly defining usage terms through the Saudi Open Data License, ensuring the rights of users and publishing entities.

• Security and Privacy:

Ensuring no sensitive or personal data is published and complying with applicable data protection policies.

• User Interaction: 

Encouraging users to provide feedback and suggestions to improve data quality and meet their needs.

Applying these specifications ensures the provision of high-quality government data, thereby supporting transparency efforts and fostering innovation across various sectors.

Data Sharing Principles

• Data management responsibility is shared.
• Emphasizing the importance of data availability.
• Information and data classification by the competent authority.
• Avoiding data duplication.
• Data consistency.
• Data protection.

For more information, click here.

The Open Data Strategy aims to enable individuals and the community to access valuable and reusable data, thereby contributing to enhancing transparency, supporting innovation, and fostering collaboration among various sectors, thus building a data-driven economy.

Strategic Vision: 

Maximize the economic impact of open data on Saudi Arabia.

Strategic Mission: 

Provide high-value and reusable open data to enhance transparency and stimulate innovation through collaboration, in order to support a data-driven economy.

To achieve this vision and mission efficiently and effectively, five main strategic objectives have been identified as the fundamental pillars of the strategy's direction.

These objectives will be achieved through the implementation of:

• 8 initiatives focusing on supporting and developing the open data ecosystem.
• 26 diverse projects covering vital areas.
• Awareness and capacity-building programs to enhance understanding of the importance of open data and develop competencies.
• Local and international partnerships to exchange experiences and enhance cooperation in the field of data.
• Development of technologies and infrastructure to ensure an effective and sustainable environment for supporting open data.

For more information about:

• The current open data strategy, click here.
• Previous open data strategies, click here.

The open data license applies to all datasets published through the open data platform. It is a licensing agreement aimed at enabling users to share, modify, use, and reuse published databases freely.

This license governs the rights to use the database itself without including the rights to individual content within it (such as images, audiovisual materials, and audio materials). Therefore, it may be necessary to use this license alongside other licenses that independently govern the content.

The database or its content contains additional rights not covered by this license, such as:

• Special contractual rights
• Trademarks and trade names
• Privacy and data protection rights

Therefore, users are advised to review relevant legal documents or meet additional conditions before initiating any use not covered by the open data license.

Permissions granted under the Open Data License

• Sharing: Reproducing, publishing, using, and reusing data freely.
• Production: Creating new works based on the database.
• Adaptation: Modifying, shaping, and building upon the data to develop innovative solutions.

User Obligations

• Attribution: Clearly indicate the source of the database when using it or producing derivative works, in accordance with the conditions specified in the license.
• License Disclosure: Clarify the type of license when sharing the database or derivative works with others.
• Maintain Notices: Keep all original notices related to usage rights without modification or removal.

This license provides significant flexibility for users in utilizing data and developing innovative solutions, while adhering to legal standards to ensure the rights of all parties.

The Open Data Platform is a pioneering integrative platform provided by Saudi Arabia with the aim of enhancing transparency, encouraging electronic participation, and stimulating innovation in various sectors. By publishing government data related to ministries and authorities publicly, the portal allows citizens and interested parties to access, use, and benefit from data in multiple ways that support the development of innovative solutions and services.

Advantages of the Open Data Platform

Central Access Point: The platform provides a unified interface that enables users to explore datasets produced by government agencies, with the ability to download and reuse them easily.

Advanced Search Options: Users can search for data based on:

• Organizations: Browse datasets by the government entity.
• Collections: Access data classified according to specific topics.
• Tags: Search using relevant keywords.
• Data Formats: Choose data based on the required format to facilitate processing and analysis.

- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data: The portal enables users to access GIS data, supporting the development of advanced spatial applications and analyses.

- Request New Datasets: The portal encourages users to contribute to expanding the scope of open data by submitting official requests for the publication of new datasets from the relevant government agencies.

The National Open Data Portal aims to be a key driver for a data-based economy by enabling individuals and the community to make the most of government data to support decision-making, develop services, and enhance innovation.

In the context of enhancing transparency and maximizing the benefit from government data, the Open Data Platform has established an open data repository to be a comprehensive central record that gathers all datasets issued by government agencies and available to the public through the portal. 

The repository includes a comprehensive data dictionary, documenting detailed information for each dataset, including a complete list of files, the number of records in each file, field names, and their types, allowing for clearer browsing and more accurate analysis. 

To standardize data management standards and ensure their quality, government agencies are required to prepare an updated inventory list of their datasets, with strict adherence to applying metadata standards specified in the data quality guide. This approach contributes to creating a more efficient open data environment that supports decision-making and fosters data-driven innovation.

The National Open Data Portal offers comprehensive APIs for various government agencies, providing developers with a golden opportunity to develop innovative applications and services that serve Saudi citizens, residents, and entrepreneurs. To make the most of these APIs, it is recommended to refer to the Open Data APIs usage guide available on the portal.

Many government platforms provide instant data supported by APIs, enabling real-time access to accurate and updated information to support decision-making and develop technical solutions. For examples of these platforms and available data, visit the designated link. 

The Open Data Platform allows users to explore a wide range of instant data published by various government agencies. They can easily access it by browsing the datasets and using the search filter to select the "instant data" option, which contributes to accelerating the process of accessing the required information efficiently and effectively.

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has developed an open data toolkit to promote the culture of open data in Saudi Arabia, providing a guiding framework that directs government agencies and others towards understanding open data policies and mechanisms for planning and implementing effective open government data programs. 

The toolkit offers an integrated and simplified approach based on clear steps to support government agencies in developing their open data initiatives, building sustainable strategies, creating open data platforms, and enabling them to release more data flexibly and seamlessly.

The toolkit also includes a data quality guide, providing government agencies with practical guidelines to ensure data quality and efficient management. The guide includes detailed information on creating datasets, preparing metadata, identifying its essential elements, and how to use government open data licenses and publish datasets on the open data portal, ensuring the highest standards of transparency and reliability.

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), as part of its efforts to promote the culture of open data and maximize its value creation, organizes a diverse series of open data events, including hackathons, workshops, and training programs, aimed at raising awareness and knowledge in the field of open data. These events target various groups, including government agencies, entrepreneurs, youth, students, and citizens.

• The events cover a wide range of key topics related to open data, such as:
• The value of open data and its role in supporting innovation and decision-making.
• Successful use cases of open data in various sectors.
• Effective data management to ensure its quality and sustainability.
• The open data ecosystem and how to enhance it.
• Protecting data privacy and ensuring its security when shared.

These events focus on fostering a culture of active data sharing, encouraging the adoption of best international practices in defining, sharing, and using open data in innovative ways, through practical sessions and hands-on training that allow for the exchange of experiences and knowledge.

• For more information on current and past open data competitions and events, click here.

The government invites all citizens to take advantage of the datasets available through the open data platform, including APIs, to support the development of innovative applications and services that benefit the community and enhance the quality of life.

• For more information on use cases and applications created based on open government data, click here.

You can also share your success stories and submit your use cases through the same link, to contribute to enriching the open data community and inspire more innovation.

This service allows individuals and companies to request open datasets from government and private entities via the designated link. To support transparency and improve service levels, citizens, residents, visitors, and other groups can submit requests for additional open data not currently available on the portal or suggest the publication of new datasets easily, without needing to provide justifications for the request. 

After submitting the request, the proposed datasets are displayed on the platform for users to vote on, helping to prioritize publication based on community needs. 

All government agencies receiving these requests are committed to reviewing them and informing the submitters of the results to ensure transparency and enhance community interaction.

Personal Data Protection Law

A law concerned with protecting individuals' personal data, ensuring their rights, and defining the obligations of data controllers to ensure the application of its provisions.

Law Scope of Application 

The law applies to any processing of personal data related to individuals occurring in the Kingdom by any means, including the processing of personal data related to individuals in the Kingdom by any external entity. This includes data of deceased individuals if it would lead to identifying them or a specific family member.

Objectives of the Law

• Protecting individual privacy.
• Establishing controls for personal data processing.
• Enhancing trust in electronic transactions.
• Reducing negative practices when dealing with personal data.

• Open Data Platform
• Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority