Using open data and new technologies for decision-making (EE0065)

Activity 2.1. Using data and new technologies for decision-making

We will develop prototypes of environments, where data protection and privacy are priorities, for supporting decision-making, performing risk analysis of digital platforms and co-creation.

Problem definition
The public sector needs to develop tools and privacy technologies that would allow policymakers, the private sector, citizens and civil society organisations to perform data-based decision analyses. The current challenges are inflexible regulations, the accessibility and format of existing data and limited data access due to the current security situation, which hinders their use in policymaking and in offering services. Data enables automatisation and the directing of resources to where they are most needed.

Developing public sector services without reliable and accessible data is not feasible. A lot of the data currently available in the state information systems is incomplete, undefined and difficult to use, resulting in policymakers ordering expensive and time-consuming studies on questions that could be answered with usable data in minutes. The fragmentation of data and lack of cross-use limits possibilities to connect services in different fields, such as education, healthcare and social care. Without trustworthy and data-based decision-making, the state risks ineffective allocation of resources, which decreases the efficiency of the public sector as well as citizens' satisfaction with services

Causes of the problem
What are the causes of the problem? A lot of the data currently available in the state information systems is incomplete and undefined, their use requires manual labour and they cannot be used in ways that are fast and flexible enough for policymaking. There is a lack of flexibility in data security and data sharing regulations, which would allow for data to be used securely and effectively. Institutions keep their data separately, which means analysing them often requires manual labour and duplication of data occurring. The processes of managing and using data are fragmented and there is a lack of cultural readiness and societal agreement on when and how data should be used. Therefore, the potential for using data in policymaking and developing services often goes unused.

What has been done to solve the problem
Important steps have been made over the past few years towards better accessibility and use of data in Estonia. The open data portal combines over 5600 datasets and has grown by almost 4800 new datasets over the last three years. Additional tools like RIHAKE have been developed to make data easier to manage. The first prototype for smart text searching was developed within the framework of the previous action plan and continues to be developed into a more complex solution that utilises language models. In addition, a co-creation environment has been developed, allowing for the monitoring of draft procedures and commenting on initiatives in a public cooperation circle. Creating a more connected and transparent digital state and increasing corruption risk identification capacity are also priorities in order to deal with the danger of misinformation.

Desired result
Developing prototypes for decision support, digital platform risk analysis and a co-creation environment, with special emphasis on secure use of data and ensuring privacy. All of these developments are supported by societal discussions on data innovation and privacy in order to design clear regulations and create services that save time for citizens and companies, have export potential and are trustworthy.

- The accessibility and use of Estonian public data has increased - you can find at least 10,000 datasets in the Estonian Data portal, the total volume of language datasets is at least 15 billion words and they have been used to train a large language model of Estonian language and culture, a long-term plan has been made for data spaces and has begun to be implemented, the first data spaces are being tested within the state and the necessary changes have been made in the legal space.
- Cleaning up data and data cross-use allow for the development of user-centric and cost-efficient services and reduce bureaucracy.
- A strong data innovation framework is developed as well as a societal agreement, supporting the trust of citizens as well as the international competitiveness of Estonia.
- By taking advantage of the opportunities given by the Digital Services Act, the state invests in developing academic capacity with the aim of analysing external influences that may have a negative impact on democratic processes and national security.
- The co-creation environment can be used to implement legislative draft proceedings up to proposition to the Government of the Republic. The environment includes preparation of Estonian legislative drafting as well as national proceedings related to EU initiatives.

How will the commitment promote
transparency
When the government makes decisions based on data and also allows others to analyse this data, transparency increases. Transparency is also supported by the development of the co-creation environment by offering a clear way to observe how proposals lead to decisions. In addition, the state offers transparent data processing with a data tracker, for the use of which all administrative areas will create a roadmap by the end of 2025. The processing of data is transparent and it is clear what data is gathered and for what purposes.

citizen participation and co-creation
Co-creation is improved by the state's new platform allowing citizens and civil society organisations to easily participate in policymaking. Participation is aided by tools that make finding and understanding data easier - e.g. smart search and data-based decision support. Better use of open data will create a reliable information environment where citizens have more opportunities and motivation to take part in discussions and make fact-based proposals.

The commitment fosters accountability of the public sector by tying decision-making to clear, data-based evidence. Risk identification and decision support tools help to justify decisions. Safe data environments enable the responsible analysis of sensitive data. The feedback mechanism of the co-creation environment shows that people's propositions are taken into evaluation systems that make it possible to observe the implementation of reforms and the efficacy of the public sector.

accountability account and have influence. This allows for the development of transparent monitoring and

Milestones
Milestones | Expected outputs | Expected completion date | Lead | Supporting stakeholders
Broadening the list of valuable open data and the use and possible creation of data processing environments | Guidelines and principles for making data public so that they can be used for developing language technology | 06.2026 | Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs | Government: Ministry of Education and Research, Institute of the Estonian Language
Broadening the list of valuable open data and the use and possible creation of data processing environments | Preparing legislative intent for valuable language data if needed | 06.2026 | | CSOS: Open Knowledge Estonia Others: Estonian Association of Media Companies, University of Tartu, Tallinn Technology and others
Broadening the list of valuable open data and the use and possible creation of data processing environments | Analysis of the language data space and performing a test project | 12.2026 | | University of
Developing data-based decision support | Developing a prototype that answers questions based on the data in state information systems | 12.2027 | Government Office | Government: Ministries CSOS: According to the developed service Others: According to the developed service
Developing data-based decision support | Each ministry has the prerequisites for developing data-based services | 09.2028 | |
Developing data-based decision support | Creating at least two data services in at least four fields each year | 12.2029 | |
Developing a tool for analysing systemic risks on digital platforms | Improving academic research capacity in Estonia, which will help the public sector decrease the negative impact of risks and external influences on democratic processes and national security | 12.2027 | Government Office | Government: Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, Police and Border Guard Board CSOS: - Others: -
Developing a co-creation environment | Proceedings of different legislative drafts up to proposition to the Government of the Republic | 12.2029 | Government Office, Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs | Government: - CSOS: Network of Estonian Nonprofit Organizations, Estonian Cooperation Assembly, e-Governance Academy Others: Centre of Registers and Information Systems
Annex 1 (Summary Table Extract):
Activity 2.1. Using data and new technologies for decision-making
- Broadening the list of valuable open data and the use and possible creation of data processing environments (Lead: Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs; Result: Increased accessibility and use of Estonian open data; Deadline: 12.2026)
- Developing data-based decision support (Lead: Government Office; Result: Creating at least two data services in at least four fields each year; Deadline: 12.2029)
- Developing a tool for analysing systemic risks on digital platforms (Lead: Government Office; Result: Increased academic research capacity in Estonia; Deadline: 12.2027)
- Developing a co-creation environment (Lead: Government Office, Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs; Result: An environment for processing legislative drafts up to proposition to the Government of the Republic; Deadline: 12.2029)