Workshop on National Data Strategy Held at OCEC

Muscat: The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) today organized a workshop on the National Data Strategy (NDS), its objectives and its significance to units of the state’s administrative apparatus.

Held at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC), the workshop saw the participation of various government departments concerned.

The workshop focused on the objectives of the NDS aimed at developing an integrated regulatory framework to empower data exchange and to develop an appropriate mechanism to raise the productivity of units of the state’s administrative apparatus and other legal public entities and government companies.

The workshop introduced the NDS strategy and its importance in maximizing the use of data in various sectors and augmenting the level of its reliability, quality and comprehensiveness, thus expanding scopes for appropriate decision-making.

The workshop featured several presentations, including one by the NCSI that dealt with the definition of the NDS and its role in improving performance, streamlining procedures, cutting costs, minimizing the rate of errors and deficiencies and supporting smart city trends, among other goals.

In particular, the presentation laid emphasis on the role of the NDS in generating economic, social, cultural and developmental benefits.

The presentation underscored the NDS’s importance in securing data reliability, quality and comprehensiveness – which emerge as major factors in enabling the government to take balanced decisions and establishing a motivating environment for smart solutions, smart cities and efficient services rendered to citizens, residents and the business community.

The presentation highlighted the fact that the NDS ensures the availability of open data to help a knowledge-conscious society, support the approaches of digital economy and protect the confidentiality of information and personal data.

The presentation reiterated the fact that the parties entrusted with implementing the NDS are the units of the state’s administrative apparatus, other public legal persons, government companies in whose capital the government contributes not less than 25 percent, as well as companies tasked with activities related to public utilities. – ONA