Vice President and Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in his capacity as the Ruler of Dubai, yesterday issued Dubai Open Data Law, which allows sharing of non-confidential data between government entities and other stakeholders to complete the legislative framework for turning Dubai into a Smart City.

The new law will make the data accessible to researchers, investors and service developers via an integrated platform. The law will create opportunities for collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship between government and non-government entities, which would in turn increase the competitiveness of data providers at the local, regional and international levels.

The data law lays down clear rules and mechanisms, making it obligatory for all government departments to share their data with each other in order to unify all Dubai related data and provide unified and integrated services to the public.

Commenting on the issuance of the law, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and General Supervisor of Dubai Smart City, said, "The new law will unify Dubai data and remove the last legal obstacles for those interested in investing in the digital economy. It will also complete the legislative framework of Dubai Smart City."

The law will also facilitate the process of obtaining data for Smart cities, which rely mainly on data and internet cloud computing technology to implement advanced infrastructure set up. The law was developed to achieve a qualitative leap in the digital economy and e-smart services.

It will help authorities to prepare policies, implement plans and initiatives efficiently and effectively. Most importantly, the data law will also enable the emirate to achieve its vision of making Dubai a city that can manage data according to clear and specific methodology consistent with international best practices.