Presented during Uganda Open Data/Open Science National Dialogue 25-26 April 2018.

1. Open Data Policy Presentation
on
National Dialogue on Open Data
MoICT & NG
25th April 201

2. Presentation Layout
1. Definitions
2. Vision, Objectives and Scope of the policy
3. Legal and Regulatory Environment
4. Guiding Principles
5. Action Areas
6. Governance Framework
7. Institutional Framework
8. Funding
9. M & E
10. Implementation
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3. 1. Definitions
• Open Data refers to the concept that information & data should be
made available for everyone to access, reuse, & redistribute without
any restrictions.
• Open Government Data (OGD) refers to open public data.
• Open governance – citizens have the right to access docs &
proceedings of gov’t to allow for effective public oversight.
• Metadata - Data that describes or defines other data.
• Aggregated data - A form of anonymization of unit records involving
combinations such that individual details cannot be discerned from
the data.
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4. 2. Vision, Objectives & Scope
Vision: to embed a culture of ‘open data by default’ within the Uganda public
sector in order to drive public service efficiency, stimulate innovation and
economic development.
Main objective: to ensure the availability & proper management of open
government data.
Specific objectives:
i. To ensure that gov’t data & info shall be publicly available;
ii. To provide a framework for implementation of OGD initiatives;
iii. To create a single point of access to public sector open data;
iv. To ensure compliance with open data standards & legislation;
v. To encourage & drive uptake of open data;
vi. To promote the development of data analytic skills.
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5. 2. Vision, Objectives & Scope Cont’d…
The Policy applies to all MDAs & LGs plus Government Consultants,
Contractors & recipients of Government funding.
The Open Data Policy applies to data in the custody or under the control of all
MDAs. The focus of the Policy is raw data (data not yet subjected to analysis
or interpretation) but can also apply to other types of info such as data that
has been processed to provide greater value.
The Policy also applies to all new data collection & creation, development of
systems that collect or create data, & any projects that update existing data
systems.
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6. 3. Legal & Regulatory Environment
• The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (As Amended)
• The Public Finance Management Act, 2015
• The Computer Misuse Act, 2011
• The Electronic Transactions Act, 2011
• The Electronic Signatures Act, 2011
• Access to Information Act, 2005
• Official Secrets Act, Cap 302, Laws of Uganda
• The National IT Policy Framework
• National e-Government Policy Framework
• The Electronic Media Act, 1996
• Public Libraries Act, Cap 136, Laws of Uganda
• The Copyrights Act, Cap 215, Laws of Uganda
• The Press and Journalist Statute, 1995
• National Records and Retention Act, 2001
• The National Information Security Framework (NISF), 2013
• The Data Protection and Privacy Bill
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7. 4. Guiding Principles
1. Access to Open Data;
The open data platform shall be accessible through GOU open
data portal, which shall provide a single point of access to the
OGD.
Not all data shall necessarily be held on this portal, but it shall be a
means of directing users to the data they require.
2. Use of open standards to ensure interoperability
This policy shall mandate an appropriate standard for metadata to
adhere to in order to enable interoperability with the central
metadata catalogue on the open data platform.
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8. 4. Guiding Principles Cont’d…
3. Data Presentation
All dataset owners shall publish their data in structured
open formats e.g. text files, csv.
4. Providing for Open Data in e-Government;
The ability to publish open data shall be built into all
public sector contracts & procurements. Shall also
ensure that the intellectual property rights of public
sector data stay with the public entities and not 3rd
party service providers.
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9. 4. Guiding Principles Cont’d…
5. Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights;
Unless otherwise stated the users shall be free to copy, publish,
distribute, adapt & exploit the information commercially or
otherwise so long as they acknowledge the source of the
information via an attribution statement.
6. Feedback mechanisms
Feedback loops on data quality shall be developed via the open
data platform. This shall facilitate users to submit comments &
feedback to data publishers to drive improvement in the data
over time.
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10. Guiding Principles Cont’d…
7. Updating of published datasets
It shall be mandatory to periodically update all datasets published on the
OGD portal.
8. Restricted data
Restricted data shall include PII, data with security connotations,
commercial information & data with IPR restrictions.
9. Data archiving
Effort shall be made to create a permanent & lasting access to time
stamps of data by creating an archiving policy that is aligned to the
provisions of the National Records Policy.
Subsequently, strategies and guidelines for data archiving by MDAs shall
be developed that also take into consideration the current best practice.
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11. 5. Action Areas
i. Legal and Regulatory; Conduct a due diligence review of
existing legislation, regulations and policies relevant to open
data to identify gaps and inconsistencies.
ii. Open Data Working Group; Constitute an Open Data
Working Group to drive the open data initiative in
Government.
iii. Establish OGD portal; The open data portal provides a “one-
stop shop” for users to find government data regardless of
which ministry provides it
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12. 5. Action Areas Cont’d…
iii. Identify high-value datasets for initial release; select 4-6
high value data sets that can be made publicly available at
short notice.
iv. OGD in e-Government; provide for an open data in the
development and implementation of e-government systems
e.g. IFMS (Finance), IPPS (Public Service), HMIS (health),
EMIS (education) PIMIS (OPM), the URSB registry system etc.
v. Innovation vs OGD; Partner with the business community,
innovation hubs, researchers & CSOs to transform OGD into
new economic opportunities.
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13. 5. Action Areas Cont’d…
vii. Promote the accessibility & usability of OGD; e.g.
encourage MDAs and LGs to release data in standard,
machine-readable formats.
viii. Funding; Identify & allocate funding for open data activities.
ix. M & E; Implement data monitoring and feedback systems to
impact of publishing data & also to identify demand for
data.
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14. 6. Governance Framework
MoICT & NG shall lead the overall coordination of the development and
implementation of the Open Data Policy.
MDAs & LGs shall perform a self-assessment based on a compliance
checklist or other parameters as may be directed by the MoICT & NG.
Entities shall undertake their utmost efforts to disclose information to
the public & ensure such disclosure is useful.
The MoICT, MoFPED, OPM, and NITA-U through a Steering Committee &
Technical Committee shall help to improve the interoperability &
openness of government data.
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15. 7. Institutional Framework
1. Ministry of ICT & NG
i. Issue guidance for all MDAs to publish open data consistent
with best practices;
ii. Ensure that the ICT staff in MDAs have adequate technical
skills to implement OGD;
iii. Ensure that the e-government systems have adequate
provisions for implementing OGD;
iv. Provide technical support to MDAs in developing institutional
open data plans;
v. Develop the OGD catalogue;
vi. Establish the OGD portal.
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16. 7. Institutional Framework cont’d…
2. OPM
i. Engage citizens & advocate for new ways to use open data to improve
performance management and service delivery
ii. Monitor and Evaluate the compliance of Agencies to the Policy
iii. Issue supplemental Policy on categories of Data that shall be made
publicly available and listed in the OGD Catalogue;
iv. Issue procedures and best practices to support the Open Data Policy;
v. Ensure the OGD Portal and the OGD Catalogue are managed in
accordance with the requirements set out in this Policy;
vi. Recommend types of Data that may or shall be made available as Open
Data through the Open Data Catalogue;
vii. Provide instructions or advise any action that Government Agencies
shall undertake to support effective implementation of this Policy.
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17. 7. Institutional Framework cont’d…
3 Ministry of Finance planning & Economic Devt
i. Provide guidance to MDAs/LGs to budget for Open Data
activities as per their work plans.
ii. Ensure the availability of OGD for the finance sector
4 Ministry of Public Service
i. Provide guidance on integration of Open data best practices
in Polices, Management Systems, Procedures and Structure
of the Public Service
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18. 7. Institutional Framework cont’d…
5 Ministry of Justice & Constitutional Affairs
i. Provide legal advice & services with regard to OGD;
ii. Provide technical guidance & support to the development of
a comprehensive legal framework for Open Data
governance.
iii. Conduct a full due diligence review of existing legislation,
regulations and policies relevant to open data to identify
gaps & inconsistencies.
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19. 7. Institutional Framework cont’d…
6 UCC
i. Regulate the release & circulation of data across
telecommunications, radio, television and postal and courier
services industry.
ii. Create partnerships with telecommunications providers,
intermediaries & businesses to help provide access to data in
rural & low-bandwidth areas.
iii. Sponsor open data competitions.
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20. 7. Institutional Framework cont’d…
7 NITA-U
i. Provide data hosting services for OGD
ii. Initiate partnerships with developers & innovation hubs to
begin to unlock the economic value of OGD
iii. Issue the Government Enterprise Architecture and
Interoperability Framework for utilization to maintain
interoperability, data standards & processes related to data
management;
iv. Provide technical support & guidance to MDAs in the
preparation of their datasets & in adhering to best practices
for data management;
v. Operationalize the open data catalogue.
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21. 7. Institutional Framework cont’d…
8. Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS)
i. Internally identify & coordinate the development of high
priority datasets for early release.
ii. Provide technical oversight with respect to data
management, data production;
iii. Provide technical guidance and support in the development
of open data standards.
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22. 7. Institutional Framework cont’d
9 National Planning Authority (NPA)
• Identify and ensure that provisions for open data are embedded
in the NDPs.
10 PPDA
• The PPDA shall ensure that authorized information about
Government Agencies Procurements (e.g. Procurement laws,
contract awards, contractor performance, contract status, etc.)
be made available in form of Open Data.
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23. 8. Funding
Financial resource mobilization shall include;
i. Contributions from the national budget;
ii. Contributions from the RCDF & any other established Funds
supporting ICT e.g. Innovation Fund;
iii. NTR from ICT services offered by the Agencies.
iv. Contributions or sponsorship from national stakeholders or
local industries;
v. Contributions from bilateral & multilateral development
partners;
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24. 9. M & E
This Policy shall be reviewed on an annual basis. This shall be led
by the OPM.
The various MDAs will directly monitor the key areas under their
mandate using their own budgets.
The MoICT & NG shall develop a policy monitoring tool that will
automate the collection, analysis & reporting of the open data
status.
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25. 10. Implementation
The key milestones for the 1st year of the policy are:
i. Establish the open data governance framework;
ii. Develop standards and recommend format for publishing
the open data;
iii. Develop the OGD portal;
iv. Identify & publish high priority datasets;
v. Develop & implement a stakeholder engagement plan.
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26. Some Open Data Sites
• Open Data in Uganda: http://www.data.ug
• Uganda Budget information: http://www.budget.go.ug
• Location info: http://maps.nemaug.org
• Developer data in Ug: http://www.opendevdata.ug
• Open Data for Africa: http://uganda.opendataforafrica.org/
• Code for Africa: http://www.codeforafrica.org
• Open africa: https://africaopendata.org/group/uganda
• Open Source: https://github.com/codeforafrica
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27. THANK YOU!
policy@ict.go.ug
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