The exciting future of data dissemination
Article October 9th, 2023
by Artur Assor, Business Area Director
In the digital world, time is a priceless asset. Faced with a deluge of data, individuals and organizations are under intense pressure to make informed decisions quickly. In response to this challenge, National Statistical Offices are moving away from traditional methods of sharing data to a more visual, engaging, and interactive approach.
1. Business intelligence dashboards
Business intelligence dashboards allow users to customize views, drill down into specifics, and ‘converse’ with data, providing immediate insights. High-level KPIs, trend indicators, graphs and heatmaps offer quick, digestible snapshots for the casual users, while advanced filtering options and real-time querying open the door to deeper insights for data-savvy analysts.
2. Generative AI
Generative AI technologies amplify the richness, utility, and accessibility of data, allowing National Statistical Offices to evolve from data custodians to powerful centers of actionable intelligence. Generative AI’s natural language capabilities decode everyday queries and make complex statistical data accessible to a wide range of users, as well as autonomously deriving insights that dramatically accelerate informed decision-making.
3. Data portals
Engaging, interactive and intuitive data portals guide users through a logical exploratory path, from high-level statistical indicators to lower-level relevant details. The key is service design – successful portals are built on a solid understanding of the target audience (on a specific persona level), their objectives, preferences and requirements, behavior, and information consumption patterns.
4. Interactive maps
Interactive 2D and 3D maps are an extremely useful and effective way of linking statistical and economic indicators to geographical locations, across all levels of administrative divisions. Bringing statistical information into our physical world immediately makes it more relatable.
5. Putting data quality and privacy first
Data Processing Engines, which ensure that data is accurate and well-structured, integrate seamlessly with dynamic Statistical Disclosure Control features in modern data portals. This dual-layered mechanism activates real-time privacy safeguards as users engage with quality data, applying immediate disclosure controls when individual privacy is threatened. Together these components create a holistic approach to data dissemination.
From information to insight
These trends are redefining the scope and effectiveness of data dissemination, allowing National Statistical Offices shift from a role of providing data and information, to one of providing knowledge and insights. Open Data will continue to democratize information and enrich the data landscape. The stage is set for a future where data is insightful, reliable, and actionable by a diverse audience.
For more information on how technology is changing the role of statistical offices, read our “What’s next for official statistics” article here. To explore our real-time economy solutions, please visit our Public Sector page.
