Jakarta. The so-called One Data Policy is expected to spur Indonesia’s development as they can make it easier for businesses to expand into the country.

In 2019, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed a presidential regulation on the one data policy, locally known as “Satu Data Indonesia”. As the name suggests, the policy sees Indonesia integrating and standardizing the data that are currently scattered around different ministries and institutions -- all in hopes that the government can improve the efficiency within the public system. Not just any other data, Indonesia also wants the integrated data to be accurate. The 2019 regulation also talks of Satu Data Indonesia -- an online portal that grants public access to data collected from different government agencies. This portal is accessible via data.go.id.

According to Harya Damar Widiputra, a professor at Perbanas Institute, the Satu Data Indonesia database can help businesses in better understanding the Indonesian market. Transparency will also nudge foreign businesses into investing in the country.

“[Satu Data Indonesia] means that the data is centralized. It also means that it is only one data [that you need to refer to]. … One thing is for sure: industries need transparency. Industries can plan out their businesses using the available data using Satu Data Indonesia. This includes if they want to expand to the eastern part of Indonesia,” Herman told a recent BTV talk show.

“There are stats on the population size, and education level, available on the [Satu Data Indonesia] database. Businesses can have a picture of the potential market size and whether their products can get into that market,” Herman said.

This data transparency can also contribute to improving industrial competitiveness, be it at a national or a global scale, according to Herman. 

Hendra Suryakusuma, the chairman of the Indonesia Data Center Provider Association (IDPRO), also talked about how Satu Data Indonesia could benefit businesses from a decision-making standpoint -- particularly those in the data center industry.

“So when we build data centers, we can check out the Satu Data Indonesia to see the locations of the industrial parks, power generation availability, as well as the interconnectivity. We can even see if the area is prone to earthquakes,” Hendra told the same talk show.

Such data availability is not only helpful for businesses. According to Herman, they can come in especially handy for social assistance delivery.

“During the pandemic, there were instances of double data. For instance, a mother has passed away but the data says that she is still eligible for assistance. Satu Data Indonesia helps us anticipate such cases. We can also deploy the assistance much faster,” Hendra said.