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Federal Open Data Portal

The Federal Open Data Portal contains links to more than 10,000 open data sets from federal, regional and local authorities, as well as companies. 

Table of contents

    • Our services

    • Mission de BOSA

      At the federal level, the FPS BOSA provides its support by searching for existing open data sets and by making new open data sets available.

    • icoon 'link'

      The federal open data portal, data.gov.be, includes links to more than 10,000 open data sets from federal, regional and local authorities, as well as companies. 

    • That’s what we do for you!

    • Open data lends itself perfectly to re-use in new, transparent products and services, and makes government more efficient.

    1. Do you have a question about existing (or forthcoming) open data sets?

      If you have a question about the datasets referred to in the federal open data portal, data.gov.be, or if you are looking for data from federal or other authorities that could potentially be made available as open data, you can contact FPS BOSA.

      Procedure

      • Complete the contact form, send an e-mail to opendata@belgium.be, or post a question on the public chat area (#data.gov.be:matrix.org), along with the following information:
        • a question/request relating to a dataset that is already described on the federal open data portal,
        • or a description of the data you are looking for.
      • You will receive acknowledgement of receipt by e-mail.
      • The FPS BOSA will examine whether the question/request is clear and complete and will contact you if necessary.
      • If the FPS BOSA is able to answer the question/request itself, it will send the answer by e-mail.
        • If the FPS BOSA is unable to answer the question/request, it is forwarded by e-mail to the department(s) best able to answer it (this may be a department of a regional, community, provincial or municipal authority).
          1. In the event of a question/request requiring the opinion or authorisation of the competent committee for personal data, the department will notify you and BOSA personally and request this opinion or authorisation.
          2. In the case of a detailed or complex question/request that will take longer to process, the service will notify you and BOSA, giving the reasons and the time frame.
      • The department answers the question/request, copying opendata@belgium.be.
        1. In the event of a negative answer, the department will state the reason for rejecting the request.
        2. If you need to sign licence conditions to obtain permission to use (or re-use) a data set, the service will send you a document to sign.
        3. If the FPS BOSA does not receive an answer from the service, it sends a reminder by e-mail.
      • If BOSA still receives no answer, the applicant will be informed by e-mail.

      Deadlines

      • Acknowledgement of receipt: within 5 working days
      • Assessment of the clarity and completeness of the question/request: within 10 working days of receipt
      • Rejection of the question/request (from receipt of the question/request or, where appropriate, of the answer received from the committee responsible for personal data):
        • within 10 working days
        • exceptionally 30 working days for detailed or complex questions/requests
      • Answer to the question/request and/or provision of the dataset (from receipt of the question/request or, where applicable, authorisation from the committee responsible for personal data, or signature of the licence conditions):
        • within 10 working days
        • exceptionally 30 working days for detailed or complex questions/requests

      Additional information

      Authorities are not obliged to translate, filter or transpose data sets into another format free of charge. Nor can authorities make data sets available if they do not own them or if the data contains personal or confidential information.

      If you do not agree with the answer received or if you do not receive an answer, you can contact the Appeals Commission.

    2. Would you like to publicise an event, study or app on the portal?

      If you are organising an open data event, if you have created an app using open data, or if you have published a study on open data, do not hesitate to contact the FPS BOSA to have them listed free of charge on the federal open data portal.

      Who can request this service?

      • Any party (authorities, companies, educational establishments, associations, etc.) that organises an event in Belgium focusing on open data.
      • Any party who has created an app that re-uses open data from an authority, association or company in Belgium.
      • Any party that has published a thesis, study or market research focusing on the impact or use/reuse of open data in Belgium.

      Procedure

      • Complete the contact form, send an e-mail to opendata@belgium.be or post a question on the public chat area (#data.gov.be:matrix.org), accompanied by the following information:
        • a short, neutral description (max. 1000 characters) of the event, app or study
        • a link to a web page containing more information about the study, event or app
        • in the case of an app: a link or description of the open data used in the app
      • You will receive acknowledgement of receipt by e-mail.
      • The FPS BOSA assesses the request and contacts you if additional information is required or if the description needs to be adapted or translated.
      • The FPS BOSA publishes the description of the study, event or app in French and Dutch on the federal open data portal, under the heading Studies, News or Apps respectively, or contacts you if the request has been refused.

      Deadlines

      • Acknowledgement of receipt: within 5 working days
      • Publication: at best (average of 5 working days)

      Additional information

      The mention of a study, event or app on the federal open data portal does not imply any value judgement. The FPS BOSA and the federal state are not responsible for the content or availability of the app, event or study.

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