DUBAI, 17th January, 2021 (WAM) -- The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC) has organised an awards ceremony to recognise the entities that participated in the Open Data Race.

In 2020, the FCSC launched the Open Data Race, a competition among statistics-producing government agencies to see who could publish more open data through the 'Bayanat' official data portal.

Thirteen government departments participated in the race and provided in 50 days 277 open data sets covering 30 vital sectors, including education, health, infrastructure, economy, energy, gender equality and food security, among others.

The UAE recently ranked 16th globally out of 187 countries in the 2020/21 Open Data Inventory (ODIN) 2020, with an overall score of 75. Compiled by Open Data Watch, the 5th ODIN assesses the coverage and openness of official statistics to identify gaps, promote open data policies, improve access, and encourage dialogue between national statistical offices and data users.

Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Cabinet Member and Minister of Cabinet Affairs, underlined the importance of open data in enhancing the UAE's competitiveness rankings as part of the country's quest to develop a smart, innovation-driven economy.

'UAE believes in the power of data revolution for development,' he said, adding that open data constitutes the cornerstone for all socio-economic development strategies.

Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Teleworking Applications, underscored the importance of the government initiatives launched at the federal level to support and fund innovative ideas with a view to 'supporting partnerships between public and private sectors and the community.'

'The Open Data Race is one of the initiatives launched to strengthen partnership and enhance transparency in government workings,' he added.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention came first in the Open Data Race, followed by the Ministry of Community Development in the second place and the Ministry of Justice in the third.

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