In a bid to facilitate accessibility to data and information of all the departments, the State Government has decided to formulate Odisha State Data Policy-2015.
The policy envisages data storage at one platform, easy access, a common protocol of data standardisation, cataloguing, updation, access, dissemination and easy quality control.
A large quantity of data is generated using public funds by Government departments, organisations and institutions. Most of such data, though unrestricted and non-sensitive in nature, remain inaccessible to common citizens. Besides, most of the data, generated by State Government departments do not have compatibility due to lack of common standards and non-interoperability.
The policy aims to make data accessible to all the stakeholders through an electronic network within the framework of related policies, acts and rules of the Government.
Official sources maintained that the policy will be applicable for all data and information created, generated, collected and archived using public funds provided by the State Government, Centre and also international donor organisations and autonomous bodies in Odisha.
An Odisha Spatial Data Infrastructure (OSDI) will be created by Orissa Remote Sensing Application Centre (ORSAC) with financial support from the Centre and the State Government. The OSDI will be the repository of all non-spatial and spatial database and its metadata. The GIS servers of all departments will be linked to the OSDI through Odisha State Wide Area Network (OSWAN) or National Knowledge Network (NKN). The OSDI will function from the State data centre with linkage to all citizen-centric and e-governance applications of the State.
The Science and Technology Department will be the nodal department for implementation of the policy while the ORSAC will act as the nodal agency.
A State Data Steering Committee headed by the Chief Secretary will be constituted for taking up policy level issues. A State Data Executive Committee headed by the Secretary in the Science and Technology Department will also be constituted to facilitate day-to-day issues in implementation of the policy.
Besides, a project management unit (PMU) will be formed for data standardisation, quality checking, sharing and similar activities. The PMU will comprise scientists from Odisha Space Applications Centre (ORSAC) and IT specialists from Odisha Computer Application Centre and State Data Centre. All departments will also form a data dissemination cell for sharing, publishing and standardisation of data.
Prasanta Patnaik