From data to big data: Moroccan public sector

Digitalization, interconnection, open data, and the use of internet and social media by governments and citizens have consequently leaded to an enormous growth of data in the public sector. As government data available increases, many big data initiatives have been launched by governments in order to derive insights and create new value in many areas. This paper details some concepts related to government data specifically open data and big data in order to draw the relationships between them and show its potential value. The article also brings into light the impact of digital progress, made so far in the Moroccan Administration, on the growth of data in the public sector, and presents first steps taken by the government toward big data era. In particular, we focus on social media, open government data and e-government initiatives. In addition, the paper showcases examples of applying advanced analytics in the public finances specifically in Tax Administration to uncover insights and make better decisions from large datasets. This article also overviews some challenges facing future big data initiatives in the Moroccan public sector and proposes recommendations to address them. © 2017 Association for Computing Machinery.