The initiative was discussed on Wednesday (Oct 29), with Governor Saransak Srikruanetra joining Pracha Atsawathira, Director of the Southern Region Office of Depa; Hasanah Lekhim, Chief of the Phuket branch of the National Statistics Office; and officials from related agencies.
Governor Saransak explained that the project aims to build an integrated provincial database that connects information from all sectors to support concrete policy planning and effective decision-making.
Under the framework approved by the provincial working group on key policies for Phuket, data will be collected and categorised into nine core development areas:
- Landscape, Architecture and Urban Planning
- Government Land
- Disaster Mitigation
- Transportation and Logistics
- Water Resource Management
- Waste Management
- Public Health, Health and Food
- Information and Public Relations
- Tourist Safety and Technology in Urban Management
Mr Pracha of Depa presented a proposal to design the data structure, identifying specific datasets required for each development area.
The Phuket Provincial Statistical Office recommended using the ‘GD Catalog’ database ‒ an open-access national data platform ‒ as the foundation for linking and expanding existing data from partner agencies, ensuring accuracy and consistency across the system.
Once integrated, the data will be presented through a provincial data dashboard designed for both internal planning and public access, explained an official report of the meeting.
The dashboard will allow users to view datasets by category and access level, promoting transparency and enabling in-depth analysis of development trends and policy outcomes.
Officials said the platform will also help agencies communicate information more clearly and reliably to the public, with appropriate data references and verification protocols.
In the first phase, Depa and the Provincial Statistical Office will connect the GD Catalog database to create a draft dashboard prototype, which will be presented at the upcoming meeting of the Information and Public Relations Working Group on Nov 4-5. That meeting will define technical standards and operational guidelines for the full development of the Phuket Provincial Data System.
Governor Saransak noted that the integration of Big Data will play a crucial role in improving provincial management, enhancing transparency, and supporting Phuket’s vision of becoming a “world-class Smart City and sustainable tourism destination”.
“This data integration will strengthen Phuket’s capacity to plan, manage and communicate effectively, ensuring that our development policies deliver real, measurable results for the people,” Governor Saransak said.