Imam Machdi, Deputy for Methodology and Statistical Information at BPS and currently acting as the Principal Secretary of BPS, delivered a speech at the Opening Ceremony of "The 8th International Conference on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics" in Bilbao, Spain, on June 10.

BPS played a significant role in this event, having established the Regional Hub on Big Data and Data Science for Asia and the Pacific in Jakarta in 2023. This positioning designates BPS as a center of excellence for using new data sources for official statistics. Attending the conference alongside Imam Machdi was Moh Edy Mahmud, Deputy for Balance Sheets and Statistical Analysis at BPS, and other BPS officials. Additionally, representatives from the Regional Hub Indonesia presented their past activities, plans, and challenges. They also had the opportunity to discuss and collaborate with other regional hubs and the UN Global Hub.

The conference was organized by BC3, in partnership with the United Nations Statistics Division, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, the Basque Government, the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), and the Basque Statistics Institute (EUSTAT). The overarching theme was "Informing Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies with Integrated Data."

According to the official website, the conference originated from the need to address global challenges such as environmental issues, climate change, health crises, food insecurity, economic recovery, and human displacement. In a world with rapidly increasing data volumes, information often remains isolated within predefined scales and fields, rarely contributing to collective knowledge. The statistical, data science, geospatial, and modeling communities are tasked with delivering integrated knowledge to address these complex "wicked problems," which are intertwined, multi-stakeholder issues with solutions that may involve competing interests.

The conference aimed to share knowledge on emerging issues requiring the timely and flexible production of integrated scientific, statistical, and geospatial information. This involves collaboration with strategic partners from the public and private sectors, as well as academic and research institutes. A paradigm shift favoring open synthesis is needed to contribute to and reuse knowledge for decision-making. The event will feature a ministerial opening, high-level panels, technical sessions, and several workshops.

For more information, please visit: The 8th International Conference on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics, June 10-14, 2024, Bilbao, Spain