Guizhou Province is one of China's provinces that have shown strong interest to develop big data technology in the local government. (Photo : www.guizhou.chinadaily.com.cn)
Several local governments in China have set up their big data management departments in anticipation of the State Council’s plan to push for the further development of the big data industry, the Time Weekly reported.
According to the report, the newly created units would lead in setting up standards and rules for the collection, management and development of big data applications and transactions. The units have also been designed to promote and help liberalize government data and develop the big data industry.
Based on the plan's guidelines, an inter-departmental data sharing platform should be established by the end of 2017, while an integrated platform for governmental data should be set up before the end of 2018.
The plan aims to provide citizens with access to public data resources in areas such as agriculture, culture, credit, employment, education, finance, public health, science, transportation and weather.
Chengdu, a city in southwest China's Sichuan Province, has reportedly issued a notice on Sept. 1 relating to its preparations for the establishment of a big data bureau. Prior to that, other local governments, such Guangdong, Liaoning and Guizhou provincial governments, had showed interest to set up such departments.
Wang Yachuan, president of the big data exchange in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, said that many other local governments have realized the value and commercial benefits that they can gain from the liberalization of government data that led them to set up big data management departments.
Wang added that local government data can be divided into two categories: statistics and documents.
The report added that the main tasks of database centers set up by local big data management departments is to obtain data from the various government agencies and to set up a legal system for an effective supervision and monitoring of data usage by businesses.
According to the report, other applications and the further liberalization of government data will be promoted by these departments in the future.
