The Cabinet has approved a draft regulation on "Digital Data Sharing," unlocking Big Data to seamlessly link government agencies and enhance disaster and emergency response capabilities.
On 5 May 2026 GMT+7, Ms. Ratchada Thanadirek, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, announced that the Cabinet approved the principles of the draft Prime Minister’s Office regulation on digital data sharing B.E. [year missing]. The key points include establishing mechanisms for sharing, exchanging, linking, and integrating data among government agencies, such as creating a central system for data sharing, and setting criteria, conditions, and methods for sharing data. This will enable government agencies to efficiently create and hold digital data across agencies, ensuring good data management aligned with governance principles, supporting the government’s goals and policies for public administration and legal reform, particularly the "Smart Government" initiative, to benefit public administration.
Ms. Ratchada added that Thailand currently uses Big Data and modern information technology as mechanisms to drive digital economy policies to elevate the country’s economic and social conditions. However, there remain significant challenges and obstacles, causing delays in data sharing among government agencies and limiting the practical use of data resources for analytical purposes to improve public administration.
Therefore, the government has an "urgent necessity" to establish mechanisms for data management in emergencies requiring immediate disaster response in the short term, and to prepare for disaster and emergency situations that may arise in the long term. The proposed Prime Minister’s Office regulation on digital data sharing includes key provisions such as:
- Defining terms such as digital data, the central system for data sharing, and the Public Organization "Big Data Institute" (BDI).
- Requiring government agencies to create, hold, submit, or link digital data in accordance with laws governing digital government administration and other related laws. Upon request, agencies must complete data sharing within 90 days from the date of the request.
- Allowing government agencies to refuse sharing all or part of analyzed data to prevent harm to national security or international relations.
- Mandating the BDI to establish a central data sharing system, set criteria, conditions, and methods to manage digital data received from government agencies, and define the duties and powers of the institute.
- Establishing the composition of the Digital Data Sharing Promotion Committee and outlining its powers, including issuing regulations, rules, announcements, and providing recommendations.
Additionally, a transitional provision requires government agencies such as the Royal Irrigation Department, Meteorological Department, Department of Provincial Administration, and Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to connect their information systems to the central data sharing system and submit data within 60 days from the regulation’s effective date. If not ready, they must notify within 15 days to discuss and agree on implementation plans to ensure readiness.
"This draft regulation will be a key mechanism to reduce steps and time in proposing legislation, allowing faster enforcement with government agencies. It will enable timely integration of cross-agency data to support government decision-making urgently needed in various situations," the spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office stated.