The Data Portal was established in 2025, building on the previous open data portal, to support the reuse of data and promote data economy.
Prior to this, the data collected by the state and the related descriptions were published in two environments: open data and their descriptions in the former open data portal, and data descriptions for databases in the administration system for the state information system (RIHA). The latter is currently still in use, but it is expected to be decommissioned at the end of 2026 when the legislative amendments come into force. Descriptions of the databases held by RIHA will then be added to the Data Portal.
The data descriptions in the Data Portal have been harmonised in accordance with the Data Description Standard (in Estonian). For this reason, the Data Portal will also publish data services, data elements, and glossaries used to access them in addition to datasets.
Integrating the two environments reduces the burden on dataset holders and offers data re-users consistent data descriptions within a single environment.
The Data Portal is integrated with the RIHAKE data management application – this enables organisations to publish and update the datasets, series, services, and glossaries described in RIHAKE automatically in the Data Portal. The Data Portal also provides an overview of user stories based on open data – that is, applications that make it easier to use the data.
Data published in the Data Portal may be reused for both commercial and non-commercial purposes under a licence granted by the holder of information. They can also be used to launch non-profit ventures, conduct research, and make data-driven decisions.
The Data Portal sends all dataset descriptions to the European Data Portal.
Open data and data with restricted access
Open data is part of public information that has no legal restrictions on use. This is the kind of data that can be used for a purpose other than the original one. Much of the open data is generated through the day-to-day work of the public sector, but open data can also be created and published by businesses, research institutions, and other organisations.
Furthermore, open data collected and organised by state institutions may be of interest to many other users who can obtain the information they need or create new value using the data.
The reuse of open data is generally free of charge and it may be used for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. Virtually all sections of the society, as well as the country as a whole, stand to benefit from reuse. For example:
- the government will be able to make data-driven decisions and reduce the costs associated with duplicated data collection and responding to queries;
- students and researchers can use the data for research and for developing new solutions and technologies;
- companies can develop new business models, products, and services based on open data;
- the media can rely on high-quality information, thereby raising public awareness and promoting transparent governance;
- citizens gain a better understanding of how the state functions and use applications relying on open data to make their daily lives easier.
Access to data subject to restrictions is limited in accordance with the procedure laid down by law, but such data may also be reused under certain conditions, for example, to avoid multiple requests for the same data.
Examples of data with restricted access include:
- personal data;
- information relating to business, trade, and corporate secrets.
To enable the reuse of data, public sector bodies are required to:
- provide access to open data in a manner suitable to them in accordance with the Public Information Act, and where possible, in a machine-readable as well as in an open format;
- publish descriptions of datasets containing both open data and restricted data in the Data Portal.
Last updated: 06.05.2026
