China starts census of data resources

A staff member walks past a screen at the State Key Laboratory of Public Big Data at Guizhou University in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- China has launched a census to take stock of the production, storage, circulation, trade, utilization and security of data resources across the country, the National Data Administration said on Monday.

The census, from Feb. 18 to March 5, aims to provide statistical support for policy-making as well as the launch of pilot demonstration programs, said the administration.

The participants of the census include relevant provincial-level government departments, manufacturers of data collection and storage equipment, enterprises in sectors of consumer and industrial internet platforms, big data and artificial intelligence, bourses of data resources, national laboratories, it said.

The census also covers centrally-administered state-owned enterprises, industry associations and chambers, as well as the State Information Center.

China has launched a three-year campaign in December last year to promote the use of data as a factor of production in major scenarios, promising to increase efforts to promote the high-level application of data, ensure the quality of data supply, improve the environment of data circulation and strengthen data security.