The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) has launched OpenDOSM Nextgen — a platform to open data access related to official statistics produced by DOSM and other government agencies with upgraded features to the existing means of obtaining government statistics.
Officiated by Minister of Economy Mohd Rafizi Ramli today (Jan 12) it offers access to open data with seamless performance; minimal downtime, lightning-fast loading, and negligible lag, enabling multiple users to access the data simultaneously, fortifying the overall strength of the platform.
It’s a continuous modernisation and innovation effort by DOSM towards effective delivery of statistical services which enables the contribution of added value in government services as well as producing new innovative services. The platform offers a modern interface designed for various levels of users including policy makers, businesses, researchers, youths, students, journalists, data scientists as well as public at large.
This platform also contains data organised in a catalogue and presented in the form of a dashboard to ease users in understanding the available data.
OpenDOSM Nextgen contains eight themes which include labour force, economic indicators, consumer prices, wholesale and retail trade, industrial production, national accounts, producer prices and health (covid-19).
The scope of its dataset will continue to be expanded over time covering various datasets from other agencies and ministries. It also contains raw data of 28 million prices from pricecatcher, a mobile app developed by the Ministry Of Domestic Trade And Cost Of Living. This data is collected for the purpose of price surveillance, and is excellent for high-frequency analysis as well as to accommodate ordinary and advanced users to conduct deeper study on price behaviour.
In a statement released by DOSM today, Rafizi said: “OpenDOSM Nextgen supports the government’s aspirations in the formation of data infrastructure which is one of the main elements of being data driven. This can indirectly help the government in creating and innovating a responsive service delivery ecosystem and prioritising speed of action to meet the needs of the Rakyat.”
He also stated that open data can also facilitate greater collaboration and discovery or value creation among researchers at various institutions. This partnership initiative can also build momentum towards the formation of a national database and further enhance data capability which elevates the role of data as a “nerve center” for decision making and planning.
OpenDOSM Nextgen also aims to empower the Rakyat’s involvement in the culture of innovation through open data. Access to open data through this platform enables analytics and insights into new information produced by various parties. Open data not only allows the public to make decisions that are more accurate but also empower citizen-to-citizen interaction through the Rakyat’s contribution in the formulation of effective policies for the benefit of the nation. It’s DOSM’s hope the public will fully utilise the open data provided.
The platform also uses a centralised data pipeline system which ensures the data accessed is reliable, accurate and authentic. DOSM invites government and private agencies to participate in local data sharing collaboration to empower the country’s open data. The department hopes that this data sharing joint venture will be able to invigorate the public’s perception of government services as well as supports DOSM in providing data analytics solutions through data science to the government.
OpenDOSM Nextgen can be accessed through https://open.dosm.gov.my.
Meanwhile, DOSM has also released quarterly and annual economic and social statistics, namely pocketstats which can be obtained from the department’s portal or via the link https://bit.ly/pocketstats_2022.
