Open Data and Data Sharing Policy in Saudi Arabia: NDMO Rules and open.data.gov.sa – London, 8–12 Feb 2027

Programme overview

Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Case study

Introduction

Government entities and regulated companies in Saudi Arabia are expected to publish open datasets and share data with other entities, yet many still decide each request case by case, withhold data by default or release files without checking privacy risk. This coreconcept Saudi Arabia course equips data office managers to apply the NDMO Open Data, Data Sharing and Data Classification policies, publish on the Saudi Open Data Platform (open.data.gov.sa) and control disclosure risk under the PDPL. Participants work through cases from several sectors and leave with an Open Data and Data Sharing Plan.

Course Objectives

• Explain the Saudi open data and data sharing framework, including the roles of SDAIA, NDMO and the Saudi Open Data Platform
• Apply the NDMO Open Data, Data Sharing and Data Classification policies to decide whether a dataset is published, shared under agreement or withheld
• Prepare datasets for publication with DCAT-based metadata, machine-readable formats and an appropriate open licence
• Assess re-identification and disclosure risk against PDPL requirements and international de-identification standards
• Draft data sharing agreements that set out purpose, legal basis, access controls and duration
• Build an entity Open Data and Data Sharing Plan with a publication schedule and compliance indicators

Target Audience

• Data management office leads running data governance programmes in government entities and companies
• Open data and information access officers responsible for dataset publication and public requests
• Data owners and business unit managers who authorise the release or sharing of their data
• Privacy and data protection managers assessing personal data risk before release
• Information security and compliance managers overseeing data classification and controls
• Digital transformation and statistics managers who rely on data shared between entities

Course Outline

Day 1: Open Data and Data Sharing Landscape in Saudi Arabia

• Open Data, Data Sharing and Freedom of Information: Definitions and Value Cases
• SDAIA and NDMO Roles in the National Data Governance Framework
• Saudi Open Data Platform (open.data.gov.sa): Publisher Roles and Dataset Landscape
• International Open Data Charter Principles and Global Open Data Indices
• Entity Open Data Maturity Self-Assessment Using the ODI Maturity Model

Day 2: National Policies, Regulations and Standards

• NDMO Open Data Policy: Open by Default, Machine-Readable and Free of Charge Principles
• NDMO Data Sharing Policy: Lawful Purpose, Authorised Access and Joint Responsibility
• NDMO Data Classification Policy: Top Secret, Secret, Restricted and Public Levels
• Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) Limits on Publishing and Sharing Personal Data
• NDMO Data Management and Personal Data Protection Standards: Open Data and Data Sharing Domains

Day 3: Publishing Open Data and Operating Data Sharing

• Open Dataset Identification and Prioritisation Matrix by Value and Readiness
• Metadata Records Using W3C DCAT 3 and Platform Publishing Templates
• Machine-Readable Formats, APIs and the Five-Star Open Data Scheme
• Open Data Licence Selection and Attribution Terms
• Data Sharing Agreement Drafting: Purpose, Legal Basis, Controls and Duration

Day 4: Disclosure Risk, Privacy and Quality Controls

• Re-identification Risk Assessment Using ISO/IEC 27559
• De-identification Techniques per ISO/IEC 20889: Aggregation, Suppression and Generalisation
• Mosaic Effect and Small-Cell Disclosure Control Checks
• Dataset Quality, Timeliness and Update Frequency Monitoring
• Open Data Performance Tracking and Compliance Dashboard

Day 5: Case Work and the Open Data and Data Sharing Plan

• Health Statistics Case: Classification and Publication Decision
• Municipal Services Case: Inter-Entity Data Sharing Request Assessment
• Open Data Plan and Dataset Publication Schedule Drafting
• Data Sharing Agreement Template Completion
• Open Data and Data Sharing Plan Defence Before a Peer Panel

Skills You Will Gain

• Data Classification
• Open Data Publishing
• Metadata Management
• Data Sharing Governance
• Privacy Risk Assessment
• Data De-identification
• Data Licensing
• Regulatory Compliance Monitoring

Why Attend This Course

• Return to work with an Open Data and Data Sharing Plan for your entity, tested against peer challenge
• Answer internal and external data requests through a documented decision route instead of case-by-case negotiation
• Publish datasets that users can find and reuse, reducing repeat requests to your teams
• Compare practice with data office staff from other government entities and companies facing the same obligations

Conclusion

Open data and data sharing create public value only when entities can release and exchange data quickly without exposing individuals or sensitive information. This course moves from the national framework and the roles of SDAIA and NDMO, through the Open Data, Data Sharing and Classification policies and the PDPL, to publication practice and disclosure controls. The final day turns that material into an Open Data and Data Sharing Plan that participants take back to their data office as a working programme for the year ahead.