Serbia
Digital
Serbia
Digital
Our journey with public sector data in Serbia began in 2015, when UNDP teamed with the World Bank to conduct an Open Data Readiness Assessment. Drawing on the assessment’s recommendations, the Serbian government committed to opening public sector data and enhancing data governance, as outlined in the e-Government Development Program and the Action Plan for Implementing the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Initiative in Serbia.
In 2017, the Prime Minister’s keynote address highlighted the need for more advanced use of public sector data. To support this goal, UNDP launched an initiative, backed by the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the World Bank, to build a robust ecosystem around Serbia’s public sector data. This comprehensive effort focused on shaping policy and regulation (top-down), assisting agencies with data governance and release (middle-out), and sparking demand and innovative use of public sector data (bottom-up).
We knew that the new thinking around data in government needed a stable footing, so we brought together a group of early open data champions to establish a multi-stakeholder Open Data Working Group. This group facilitated dialogue between data producers and data users and grew to over 60 members from 40 different organizations. Participants included officials from central and municipal administrations, civil society organizations, media professionals, data scientists, tech groups, entrepreneurs, researchers, and experts in various fields related to public sector data.
We designed the Open Data Working Group to be inclusive, open, and transparent, with sessions advertised on social media and open to anyone interested. This culture of open collaboration across sectors fostered direct interactions and collaborations that went beyond official meetings, resulting in much better outcomes.
For example, members of civil society drafted the first legislation on open data aligned with the EU’s Public Sector Information Directive, while technical experts helped define the requirements for the National Open Data Portal and data release standards. The discussions also identified high-value datasets for release, such as public transit, air quality, municipal budgets, and street addresses, and explored methods for stimulating data reuse and demonstrating the broader impacts of open data.
To ensure legal certainty and create new citizen rights, UNDP collaborated with the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government to include a chapter on open data in the Law on E-Government. This legislation introduced citizens’ right to access public sector data in digital form, in open formats, and under permissive licenses, allowing anyone to utilize the data for any purpose, including commercial use.
Simultaneously, UNDP’s in-house engineering team, the Tech Cell, assisted the Office for IT and e-Government in launching the National Open Data Portal. This user-friendly platform for publishing public sector data can automatically connect to existing government repositories. It enables users to browse, search, and send feedback to data publishers, such as flagging errors or requesting additional datasets. The portal also includes an Application Programming Interface (API) that allows software developers to incorporate open data into their applications.
Collaboration with UNDP’s Tech Cell on portal development and maintenance was particularly beneficial for the Office for IT and e-Government, allowing their personnel to receive tailored mentorship and software development support.
Over the years, our Digital Team has supported numerous public sector institutions in enhancing their data governance practices, building internal data management skills, and releasing data to the public. This collaboration has included the Statistical Office, Geodetic Authority, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Education, Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices, Serbian Environmental Protection Agency, Commissioner for Public Information and Personal Data Protection, and many other state and municipal institutions.
Thanks to these efforts, the National Open Data Portal now hosts a large collection of datasets. Sector-specific data portals have also been launched, covering areas such as official statistics, geospatial data, education system data, and access to information of public importance.
datasets released by 2024
organizations published
data by 2024
Recognizing the importance of data-literate civil servants, UNDP partnered with the National Academy for Public Administration (NAPA) to create a practical training course for data officers. This course focuses on data governance, internal use, data release, and engagement with the broader data ecosystem.
To further consolidate these efforts, UNDP and the Office for IT and e-Government launched the Open Data Hub. This online repository enables anyone interested in public sector data to connect with government and community experts, as well as access freely available guides on how to access and use public sector data.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of up-to-date, quality, and interoperable data for effective policy planning, execution, and monitoring. During the time, UNDP supported the Serbian government in establishing a data analytics and business intelligence platform for real-time monitoring of the national immunization campaign and high-level decision-making.
Initially designed to track daily vaccination progress, the platform was expanded to identify critical segments of the population needing special attention, such as those over 65 and other vulnerable groups, as well as public sector workers like teachers and civil servants. Additionally, it facilitated the planning of vaccination logistics and the precise tracking of medical waste at each vaccination site, ensuring a comprehensive and efficient response to the crisis.
To showcase how public sector data can enhance everyday life, we initiated several strategic initiatives.
One of the most recognized involved collaborating with five Serbian cities (Niš, Kragujevac, Užice, Subotica, and Belgrade) and their public transport agencies to convert municipal public transit data into the open General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format. We uploaded these GTFS files to Google Transit, allowing millions of people using Google Maps on their phones to navigate public transport services in those cities. Other transit apps and OpenStreetMap now integrate this data, thereby enhancing its usability.
Another key initiative involved working with the Serbian Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to release near-real-time air quality data from the national network of monitoring stations. We assisted SEPA in making this dataset available through an API, allowing independent developers to integrate it into their applications. Numerous mobile and web apps (e.g., xEco, AirCare) now include this data, providing citizens with up-to-date information on air quality and notifications for worsening conditions.
Additional efforts included collaborating with over 100 municipalities to publish local budgets and financial reports, as well as advocating with the Geodetic Authority to release the georeferenced Address Registry to improve service delivery for e-commerce platforms and courier services.
To foster broader community engagement, UNDP partnered with civil society organizations and tech communities across Serbia. Through open data events and innovation challenges, we facilitated collaboration between the government and data users at both the national and local levels.
In cooperation with the Office for IT and e-Government, we organized several data innovation challenges. We encouraged participants to analyze various datasets available on the Open Data Portal and devise practical applications. This could involve analyzing and visualizing the data, proposing policies based on their findings, or developing apps that leverage the data to provide new value to citizens. These events attracted startups, businesses, civil society organizations, and individuals with a keen interest in public sector data. We awarded the best community projects, such as those addressing traffic safety, climate change, or the high prevalence of diabetes among the population, some of which later received international praise.
In addition to data-driven solutions, we supported several annual Open Data Weeks to raise awareness about the benefits of public data reuse, featuring community events across Serbia. Throughout all our activities, we highlighted the achievements of government and community champions and showcased the best data-driven solutions at major local and international events such as the Data Science Conference and the OGP Global Summit.
Forest and Climate app won WSA and European Youth Innovators Festival awards
Serbian cities and towns participated in Open Data Weeks
citizens participated in Open Data Week events
Since 2015, the public sector data ecosystem in Serbia has grown substantially thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Serbian government, UNDP, and the wider community. Government institutions now recognize public sector data—once limited to small-scale initiatives—as crucial for improving public service delivery, enhancing transparency, fostering innovation, and engaging citizens.
However, the journey is far from over. Significant barriers still impede public access to a wealth of underutilized public sector data. We must also leverage real-time data integration from both the public and private sectors to bridge gaps, gain new insights into development challenges, and enhance strategic decision-making in an increasingly complex social and economic landscape shaped by global communications and digital technologies.
Addressing these challenges requires continued improvements in strategic planning, legal frameworks, data infrastructures, and institutional capabilities. At UNDP, we remain committed to advancing these efforts.
