Move with the digitisation strategy of the Dutch government
In recent years, the government has pursued a digitisation policy that has drastically changed the public domain. As a result, many advanced technologies of the past are now part of the daily lives of Dutch citizens. In order to continue this line, the government has carried out a foresight study and determined a strategy. Read here about where the Netherlands is heading and how to move with it.
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The Netherlands Digital
The Dutch Digitisation Strategy 2021 highlights six priorities that will guide the digital transition of the Netherlands. These are artificial intelligence (A.I), data use and sharing, inclusion, connectivity, resilience and government.
Artificial Intelligence
It is not surprising that Artificial Intelligence is the first pillar. This technology offers enormous opportunities. AI applications help reduce energy costs, make food production more sustainable and predict COVID outbreaks, for example. Because Artificial Intelligence runs up against privacy laws, it is important to always safeguard human rights and public values. Only then can optimal social acceptance and economic success be achieved.
Data
Data is the fuel of a healthy digital society. As society becomes increasingly digital, the amount of data is growing exponentially. In this phase of a digital transition, we are faced with the challenge of making optimal use of the value of this data. At the same time, it is important to prevent privacy breaches and data monopolies. This is achieved through an accessible and transparent data flow. To achieve this, the Data Sharing Coalition was set up and government institutions apply the FAIR principles to the management of data.
Digital skills and inclusion
The changes in society also require a high degree of citizen adoption. This makes certain groups vulnerable to social disadvantage. To prevent this, it is important to prioritise inclusiveness. Inclusiveness can be ensured by providing digital education programmes and access to equipment, and by applying accessible design rules when developing software.
Digital connectivity
The government also values digital connectivity. The increasing data consumption requires a scalable infrastructure and a powerful mobile network. The government is committed to full national internet coverage through fibre optics and optimal mobile connectivity through the rollout of 5G. These developments enable more and more organisations to digitise more and more (mobile) activities and to exchange data quickly and in real-time.
Resilience
Because we are becoming increasingly dependent on digital services, processes and systems, we are also becoming increasingly vulnerable to cybercrime and data leaks. To counter this threat, the National Covert System (LDS) and the Dutch Cybersecurity Agenda (NCA) were developed in the Netherlands. These have resulted in initiatives to strengthen resilience, such as the Basic Norms Framework for Government Information Security. These provide guidelines for protecting information. In addition, there are strict security requirements for software development and obligations for updates.
Digital Government
Finally, the Dutch government's ambition is to become as digital as possible. This means using technology to tackle social issues, making services digitally available and offering government data online. The government stimulates the use of open standards in its own domain. By using open source as a starting point, much of the government software is available to society.
Moving along
The government's digitisation strategy offers opportunities for organisations and companies to innovate. Regionally, there are innovation hubs and research institutions that offer support, and there is also an innovation budget available. The region helps to scale up successful local initiatives. At the national level, government bodies provide support and guidelines to make digitisation safe and efficient.
