Developing an Open Data Portal (TN0005)

This portal will replace the current web site (www.data.gov.tn) available online since 2012, so that, government data disclosure could be made according to international standards in terms of size, quality, nature,... The portal will represent a one stop shop that offer access to different government data produced by public structures at central and regional level. Some sectors, such as, transport-related data «Open transport» and land property «Open cadastre» will require special focus due to their importance.
The aim of this portal is to open data produced by various public structures, and facilitate its reuse. The portal development will be made according to a participatory approach that involves civil society representatives.

5: Open data portal

Commitment Text: This portal will replace the current web site (www.data.gov.tn) available online since 2012, so that, government data disclosure could be made according to international standards in terms of size, quality, nature…The portal will represent a one stop shop that offer access to different government data produced by public structures at central and regional level. Some sectors, such as, transport-related data “Open transport” and land property “Open cadastre” will require special focus due to their importance.

The aim of this portal is to open data produced by various public structures, and facilitate its reuse. The portal development will be made according to a participatory approach that involves civil society representatives.

Responsible Institution(s): The Secretariat of State in Charge of Governance and Civil Service (and E-government Unit)

Supporting Institution(s): Involved public institutions

Start Date: July 2014    End Date: February 2016

Commitment aim

The Tunisian government launched its first open data portal in 2012 with a limited number of datasets, including statistics on public administration activities, as well as listings of public offices. This commitment envisioned re-developing the open data portal to improve usability and data relevance.

Status

Midterm: Limited

The government began a selection process to appoint a contractor to create a new version of the portal in 2013, with funding from the African Development Bank (ADB). A contractor was selected in June 2015, and work on the new portal started. For more information, please see the 2014-2015 IRM Midterm Progress Report.^{[Note 20: OGP, Tunisia IRM Midterm Progress Report 2014-15, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Tunisia2014-15_IRM%20Progress%20Report_Eng.pdf.]}

End of term: Limited

The OGP points of contact^{[Note 21: Interview with OGP focal point team members, Rim Garnaoui and Chiraz Ben Tahar, 9 September 2016.]} have stated that the new portal was not launched officially. Beta testing of the new open data portal was being carried out by a limited number of users, including a technical committee charged with monitoring the completion of the portal by 15 September 2016. The plan’s goal was for the portal to go live by the end of 2016. However, as of 31 December 2016, no advance was made on the launch of the portal, and the beta version was not made available publicly.

According to the government, the first phase has been completed and the technical features are being developed. In the meantime, the old portal (http://www.data.gov.tn) is functional, but is not updated regularly, and there is a lack of coordination between ministries regarding the publication of data.^{[Note 22: Interview with Al Bawsala, 1 February 2017.]}

Did it open government?

Access to information: Did not change

Civic participation: Did not change

A well maintained open data portal would allow citizens to follow government activities and, thus, improve access to public information. It would also help establish a new relationship based on trust, transparency, and accountability between the government and citizens. The Global Open Data Index ranked Tunisia 86^th in 2015, down from 66^th in 2014.^{[Note 23: Global Open Data Index, “Tunisia,” http://2015.index.okfn.org/place/tunisia/.]} The lower ranking demonstrates that a concerted effort is needed to ensure the advancement of open data, which is a vital component of open government.

The delayed re-development of the portal has not yet led to any improvements in access to information or opportunities for civic partipation.

Carried forward?

This commitment was carried forward to the second action plan in a modified form. The language was changed to include four milestones, including one on public data licencing and integrating data via personnel networks across government agencies. To ensure successful implementation of this commitment, the IRM researcher recommends the following:

•       The e-Gov Unit at the Presidency of the Government should formalise the process of dataset creation, aggregation, compliance, and quality. The Unit would require additional resources and an appropriate budget for the project.^{[Note 24: Interview with Maher Kallel from the e-Gov Society, 18 September 2016.]}

•       The government should actively encourage civil society and watchdog organisations to use the platform and newly published datasets to inform their work.