The NT Government has launched a new NTG Open Data Portal to give Territorians easier access to the growing online library of official government data.
“Ensuring access to non-sensitive government data is an important part of open government and helps to demonstrate transparency in decision making,” Minister for Corporate and Digital Development Ngaree Ah Kit said.
The NTG Open Data Portal was originally launched in 2019 after the NT Government promised to make the government’s open data information readily accessible to the public.
The portal provides government data, which is available for businesses, researchers, journalists and the wider community, free of charge. As of this year, the site is said to host over 860 different datasets.
The new look of the site has grouped data links, data articles and a most popular datasets section. These changes have made access to and downloading information possible through a few easy online clicks.
“As well as supporting innovation, research and information gathering, readily available data are also important to support evidence-based policy development,” Minister Kit said.
“It allows digital creators to freely use government data to develop news apps and other digital services.”
Under the new data portal, facts and figures from 17 Territory and local government departments and agencies are searchable to Territorians, including from the Ombudsman, NT Electoral Commission, Police, Fire and Emergency Services, and the Departments of Health and Education.
“We know there is demand for such information as so far this year data has been downloaded not just in the Territory but across Australia, the United States and India, among other locations,” Minister Kit said.
While economic data and government tenders are among the most popular currently downloaded, the new data portal hosts information to satisfy interests as varied as annual Mothers and Babies Reports, and checklists of the Territory’s native flora and fauna.
The enhanced user interface that has been launched is the result of a review in how users interacted with the portal, what is offered in other jurisdictions, and how personal and sensitive data is protected in line with information and privacy laws.
The portal is a long-term digital investment for the NT Government and a key promise under the Territory’s Digital Strategy and Action Plan.
Source: NT Government Media Release