Moving from Data Production to Impact: The Role of the NSO in Facilitating Greater Data Use
by
the Open Data Watch Team
12 February 2022
If there has been a silver lining to the pandemic, it is showing the importance of National Statistics Offices (NSOs) in supplying critical data for effective decision-making. Yet, despite the billion gigabytes of data generated each day, much of these data that could be used to monitor development go unused, passing into “data graveyards.” Fortunately, the global statistical community has begun to reframe thinking to emphasize the importance of using data more effectively through tools like the Data Value Chain*.
In this context, a United Nations Statistical Commission side-event, co-hosted on 11 February by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics (SDSN TReNDS), Open Data Watch (ODW), and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) introduced and sourced audience feedback on a new ‘Avoiding Data Graveyards’ project that proposes a transformation process for effective data use to help producers of official statistics maximize data uptake and impact. The session highlighted data use challenges for NSO leadership, showcased successful examples of how countries have improved the impact and uptake of their data during the pandemic, and shared lessons learned.
Objectives of the event included:
- Spotlight data use challenges and solutions from the perspective of NSOs and how the international community can better support countries on data use efforts to improve uptake and impact of their data, particularly in light of the current pandemic.
- Introduce and generate interest in the ‘Avoiding Data Graveyards’ project and a framework for improving data use of official statistics among the wider statistical community.
- Garner feedback from the statistical community on TReNDS’ and ODW’s proposed transformation process for data use.
Watch the full event here:
Explore the presentations:
@ indicates the approximate timestamp in the video above
- @ 04:30 – “Moving from Data Production to Impact: Improving Data Use” by Shaida Badiee, Managing Director, Open Data Watch and Lorenz Noe, Research Manager, Open Data Watch – ? Slides
- @ 19:30 – “Moving from Data Production to Impact” by Carol Coy, Director General, Statistical Institute of Jamaica – ? Slides
- @ 30:40 – “Increasing Data Use and Impact” by Francesca Perucci, Assistant Director, UN Statistics Division – ? Slides
- @ 42:20 – “Putting Data Use at the Heart of Leaving No One Behind” by Claudia Wells, Director of Data Use, Development Initiatives – ? Slides
