AgID launches Cruscotto Italia and SIMBA: AI to make public data more accessible

The Digital Italy Agency (AgID) has made available two new innovative tools for managing and consulting public data: Cruscotto Italia and SIMBA. Cruscotto Italia is an analysis and visualization platform that offers a comprehensive and updated overview of every Italian municipality, bringing together the main available public data in clear and readable formats. The system interfaces with AI through an open protocol (MCP) that allows chatbots to access reliable public data for analysis and research using natural language.

SIMBA (Intelligent System for Metadata Search, Cleansing, and Semantic Enrichment), on the other hand, is an operational suite designed to support Public Administration entities in the production and governance of open data. SIMBA automatically evaluates dataset quality, identifies issues such as empty fields or inconsistent formats, and supports data correction and enrichment. SIMBA also includes a chatbot that allows citizens and analysts to query the dati.gov.it portal using natural language.

The push towards greater transparency and accessibility of public data, known as open data, is a process that began internationally and nationally several years ago. In Italy, the goal is to make information produced by the Public Administration freely usable by citizens, businesses, and journalists to foster innovation and democratic oversight. However, the published data has often been fragmented, of uneven quality, and difficult for non-experts to consult, limiting its actual use.

To overcome these obstacles, the Agency for Digital Italy (AgID), the governmental body coordinating the country's digital transformation, has developed Cruscotto Italia and SIMBA. These tools were created to transform a process that was often "artisanal" into a structured flow. The integration of artificial intelligence, particularly through chatbots using natural language, represents the next step to break down technical barriers. The ultimate goal is to create a more robust national open data ecosystem, where public information is not only available but also easily understandable, comparable, and of high quality, thereby increasing its value for the community.