Muscat: Open data is emerging as the cornerstone of Oman’s digital revolution, pivoting in advancing artificial intelligence and fostering innovation across various sectors. According to Hassan bin Fida Hussain Al Lawati, Head of the National Program for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies, open data is vital for enhancing transparency, stimulating creativity, and improving public services. It also boosts the Sultanate of Oman’s standing in global digital transformation and AI readiness rankings.

In June 2020, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology introduced the Open Data Policy, setting essential standards and unifying the approach to making data accessible. This policy mandates that all government units provide their data for public use, supporting research and commercial endeavours.

A major upcoming project includes the establishment of a unified open data platform, which is expected to launch experimentally by the end of this year. This platform will centralize vast data across various fields, significantly enhancing data availability.

Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Alawi, Director of the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies Program Development, emphasized the importance of open data teams within government institutions. To date, 18 such teams have been formed, aligning with the national digital transformation goals and open data policy.

The Ministry conducts regular workshops to educate these teams on open data principles and evaluation criteria. Recent evaluations of 56 government institutions revealed that 35 have proactively published their data according to the set standards, while 11 others are in the process of compliance following recent reminders.