On a live webcast on the Executive Yuan's "Open Mic" channel on YouTube today, Vice Premier Chang San-cheng elaborated on how the administration has been using "the online three arrows"—open data, crowdsourcing and big data—to enhance public services.
The vice premier made these remarks during an interview with Executive Yuan Spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun. Sun noted that many netizens believe Taiwan has too little open data, the quality of its open data is unsound, and legal regulations are far behind technological advancements. Thus, the Executive Yuan held today's webcast to enhance public understanding by directly communicating the content and achievements of the government's relevant policies.
Chang stated that in order to integrate the physical and virtual worlds, upon taking office Premier Mao Chi-kuo put forward the three arrows of concept communication, policy implementation and forward-looking administration.
The premier hopes the administration will make good use of information and communications technologies and enhance information exchanges and communication between the public and private sectors via open data, crowdsourcing and big data. This will closely integrate public opinion with administrative resources so as to further advance the government's measures.
Open data is the government's releasing of information that is neither confidential nor sensitive, Chang stated. Moreover, these data must be of a special format so that they can be read and analyzed. Chang noted that the nation has been promoting open data for the past three years and has garnered quite good results. In the 2014 Global Open Data Index released by the Open Knowledge Foundation, the ROC ranked 11th worldwide, topping all other Asian nations including Japan and South Korea.
Certain data, such as medical records and tax information, cannot be made open because they involve personal privacy. This is why when he was serving as minister of science and technology, Chang advocated the concept of "My data," which allows each individual to download his or her personal information. The My Health Bank project promoted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare is in line with this concept, the vice premier noted.
Because there is such a wide range of data types, prior to undertaking big data analysis, an agency must clearly understand its objective for utilizing information, the vice premier pointed out. Only then can it take the next step of gathering data.
One example of the Executive Yuan's use of crowdsourcing is its recent conversion of the former official residence of the premier on Jinhua Street into Taiwan's flagship social enterprise hub, Chang said. He explained how the government utilizes the wisdom of the public to inspire many creative ideas.
The Executive Yuan's webcast was held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. today. During this hour, the number of netizens simultaneously viewing the broadcast peaked at 155, and 687 hits were registered. Netizens left 260 messages and opened 80 parallel streams. Average viewing time was a little over 12 minutes. The webcast can be viewed at the Executive Yuan's "Open Mic" channel on YouTube.
For more information, please visit:
Vice Premier Chang's interview with Spokesperson Sun (in Chinese)
The Executive Yuan' s Facebook page (in Chinese)
The Executive Yuan's "Open Mic" channel on YouTube (in Chinese)