Mr. Sontirat Sontijirawong, the Minister of Commerce, showed his vision about the great potential of Big Data, a new driving force of Thailand’s economy at all levels. It could generate purchasing power for the grassroots, create job opportunities for regional people, and develop SMEs systematically through appropriate trainings based on individual skill, with which they can use to improve their businesses for Economy 4.0 and prepare themselves for the international trading arenas.

In additions, Big Data is used to improve the work of the Ministry by integrating the internal and external data links with the view to promoting Thailand’s trades and generating more revenue to help the country reach the goals. All of these can be achieved through the development of Big Data, an unprecedented feat of the Ministry.  

The Ministry of Commerce, the economic administrator of the country, wishes to see concrete results from the implement and is always aware of the importance of Thai economic development in the digital age, a beneficial factor that could help Thai economic grow stronger in the long run. Big Data will be a new driving force for the local economy and reduce social disparity because the data will be processed and suitable jobs for the regional people will be selected and summarized.

The Ministry also realizes the importance of “knowledge building” aimed for the people and SMEs, which can be attained through systematic trainings that are taught step-by-step from start-up business to international trades and based on individual skill. Furthermore, the Ministry integrates the data and training curricula of all the departments of the ministry to eliminate, if any, the duplication of curricula, resulting more effectiveness and efficiency in doing business among those who graduate the courses. 

What's more, the Ministry uses Big Data in promoting international trades by integrating all data received from the international department of the Ministry, which can be processed and shown in real-time. Such information can also be used by the management for making decisions and establishing the international trade policy and for tracking, pushing, and creating more opportunities in international trades to help the country achieve the goals.

These examples are just the beginning of the implementation of Big Data, which can empower the work of the Ministry of Commerce focused on three goals: 

1) Facilitate public services

2) Reduce working procedures of the Ministry 

3) Help make decisions and create policies and strategies for developing and adding value to the national economy. 

Big Data, therefore, is a promising solution that can turn scattered, unusable data into valuable information, which can used for making decisions and establishing clearer and more effective policies and working guidelines for the Ministry of Commerce. What follows definitely are the great benefits that will fall to the people at all levels, from the provincial to national.