The Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM), through its Center for Information Systems Studies (PKSI FEB UGM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs of Indonesia, presented the 2025 Gadjah Mada Digital Transformation Governance Index (GM-DTGI) Award to city and regency governments. The award was presented during the National Seminar themed “Optimizing Big Data in Regional Governance to Support Digital Transformation Acceleration”, held on Thursday, Sep. 18, 2025, at the MM FEB UGM Auditorium.
Professor Syaiful Ali, Head of the GM-DTGI Research Team, explained that this year GM-DTGI assessed 508 cities/regencies, using an index based on seven main pillars aligned with global best practices.
These pillars include technology, human resources, processes, data, organization, and security.
“The assessment data were obtained from official regional government websites, direct confirmation with city and regency governments, as well as other credible references,” he said.
For the category of Best Digital Transformation Governance at the provincial level, the award was given to several regions, including Tangerang Regency (Banten), Gorontalo Regency (Gorontalo), Katingan Regency (Central Kalimantan), Nunukan Regency (North Kalimantan), Batam City (Riau Islands), Central Lampung Regency (Lampung), West Lombok Regency (West Nusa Tenggara), Raja Ampat Regency (Southwest Papua), Mimika Regency (Central Papua), Banggai Regency (Central Sulawesi), Ogan Komering Ilir Regency (South Sumatra), and Medan City (North Sumatra).
In the category of Best Regency Government in Indonesia, Banyuwangi Regency secured the first position, followed by Sukoharjo Regency in second place, Sleman Regency in fourth place, and Sidoarjo, Sragen, and Bantul Regencies in fifth place. Sumedang Regency ranked seventh, Bogor Regency eighth, while North Penajam Paser Regency (East Kalimantan) completed the top ten list.
Meanwhile, for the category of Best City Government in Indonesia, Semarang City achieved the first position, followed by Bandung City in second, Surabaya City in third, Yogyakarta City in fourth, Pekalongan City in fifth, and Makassar City in sixth.
Depok City ranked ninth, Singkawang City tenth, while several other cities also completed the top ten list.
Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Nezar Patria, congratulated the regional governments that received the award for digital transformation governance.
He highlighted the importance of big data in regional governance, noting its potential to improve accuracy and speed in decision-making, thereby making public policies more targeted.
“In addition, open data use is believed to enhance transparency, accountability, and strengthen public trust in the government,” he said.
Deputy Minister Patria revealed that government data show internet connectivity has reached 97 percent of populated areas, with internet penetration at 80 percent, affecting around 222 million people.
This condition reflects the increasingly massive digital activities of society, which generate an abundance of data.
However, he emphasized that behind these opportunities lie significant challenges, particularly regarding data quality, internet service speed, and governance.
Weak discipline in data management and the threat of information leaks due to poor cybersecurity standards remain serious issues.
“Misinterpreting data can affect policy decisions. Therefore, the One Data Indonesia initiative is essential to ensure data quality and integration from the central to regional levels,” Deputy Minister Patria explained.
To optimize big data management, the government is focusing on two main strategies.
First, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), where the public sector collaborates with private entities in the utilization of big data under strong trust principles and governance.
Second, Citizen-Generated Data, namely, data collection through broad and open networks to directly respond to public needs.
Deputy Minister Patria underscored that data security and personal data protection must be top priorities, given several past national data breaches caused by weak regional security standards.
“This can be seen in regulations such as the Presidential Decree on One Data, the Presidential Decree on Electronic-Based Government Systems (SPBE), the ITE Law, the Personal Data Protection Law, and most recently, the acceleration of digital transformation, including the establishment of a digital committee to accelerate national strategic programs through the adoption of digital technology in government,” he elaborated.
One notable example of big data utilization comes from Sumedang Regency, which successfully reduced stunting rates through digital monitoring from pregnancy to children’s nutritional intake.
“This innovation proves that well-managed data can produce targeted policies,” he added.
Deputy Minister Patria concluded by noting that despite over a decade of digital transformation efforts, many challenges remain.
He expressed high appreciation to FEB UGM for its initiative in developing the Digital Transformation Governance Index and presenting awards to cities and regencies that have demonstrated innovation across the seven pillars of digital transformation.
Author: Hanifah
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photographs: Jesi