How GSTAT unified its digital experience with Apigee
GSTAT wanted to make statistical data easier to access for everyone. Together with STC Solutions, AppyThings helped GSTAT create a more unified digital experience. STC Solutions developed the main website, while AppyThings built the developer portal, set up the Google Cloud foundation and deployed Apigee as the integration platform.
The General Authority for Statistics, or GSTAT, is a government agency in Saudi Arabia responsible for national statistical activities. It conducts surveys, develops statistical methodologies, carries out research and analyses data and information that support socio-economic development.
Through its open data program, GSTAT makes statistical information available to a wide range of users, from public institutions and government agencies to students, researchers, citizens and developers.
That makes digital accessibility critical. The platform needed to serve technical users who integrate datasets through APIs, as well as non-technical users who simply want to search, understand and use statistical information.
The challenge: a fragmented portal experience
GSTAT’s digital ecosystem had grown across multiple portals. Over time, this resulted in 10 to 15 separate environments with different designs, systems and navigation structures. For users, this created friction.
Finding the right data was not always intuitive. Technical users needed clear API access and documentation. Non-technical users needed a simple and accessible way to explore datasets.
GSTAT needed to unify this experience into one cohesive platform.
The challenge was to balance two different needs:
- Technical capability for developers and organizations consuming APIs
- Simplicity and accessibility for citizens, students and non-technical users
- Secure access for protected datasets
- Consistent design and navigation across the platform
- Scalable integration foundations for future digital services
This required more than a visual redesign. It required a strong integration foundation underneath the user experience.
The solution: a unified platform with a dedicated developer portal
AppyThings partnered with STC Solutions to support GSTAT’s digital transformation. STC Solutions developed the main website, while AppyThings focused on the developer portal and the integration architecture behind it.
The objective was clear: create a seamless and consistent experience across the platform, while ensuring the technical foundation was secure, scalable and maintainable.
AppyThings started by setting up the Google Cloud Platform landing zone. As a certified Google partner, AppyThings created a secure and scalable cloud foundation for the integration environment.
Next, AppyThings deployed the Apigee integration platform using infrastructure as code. This ensured a robust and repeatable setup aligned with best practices.
The engagement included:
- Google Cloud Platform landing zone setup
- Apigee deployment as integration platform
- Infrastructure-as-code implementation
- Integration mapping with GSTAT project managers
- Secure VPN setup for on-premise connectivity
- API onboarding onto Apigee
- Developer portal development
- Planning and structuring APIs according to GSTAT’s needs
By combining cloud foundation, API management and developer portal expertise, AppyThings helped create a platform that supports both usability and technical integration.
Building for technical and non-technical users
One of the key challenges was serving very different user groups through one digital experience. For developers, ministries and organizations, the platform needed to offer structured API access, clear documentation and reliable integration capabilities.
For citizens, students and non-technical users, the experience needed to be simple, understandable and accessible.
That meant the platform had to provide:
- Clear dataset descriptions
- Structured navigation
- Filtering options
- Multilingual descriptions in English and Arabic
- OpenAPI specifications for technical users
- Secure permission models for protected datasets
This user-centric approach ensured that GSTAT’s data became easier to discover, understand and integrate.
The result: a better digital experience for every user
The new platform improved usability, accessibility and governance across GSTAT’s open data environment.
Key outcomes included:
- Improved user experience: The portal provides a more structured and visually consistent interface, making it easier for users to find and retrieve statistical data.
- Accessibility for all users: Clear dataset descriptions help non-technical users understand and navigate available data more easily.
- API integration for organizations: Government agencies, ministries and organizations can integrate statistical data directly into their own systems through APIs.
- Enhanced usability: Multiple dimensions, filtering options and structured OpenAPI specifications improve the experience for both API consumers and everyday users.
- Multilingual support: Descriptions in English and Arabic make datasets more accessible to a broader audience.
- Data security and governance: The platform supports both open and protected data. A robust permission system ensures restricted datasets can be shared securely with authorized parties.
Why this matters
Public data only creates value when people can access and use it. For an organization like GSTAT, the challenge was not only to publish statistical data, but to make it useful for very different audiences.
A fragmented portal environment makes that harder. A unified digital experience, supported by a strong API management foundation, makes data more accessible, secure and reusable.
The GSTAT project shows how API management and user experience can reinforce each other. The visible portal experience matters, but the invisible integration layer beneath it is what makes secure and scalable data access possible.
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