A global conference on Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX) was launched by the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) under the title 'Empowering Data Communities'. For the first time, the event is being held in the Middle East by the iGA in collaboration with a number of international organizations. In addition to data science experts, officials from regional and international institutions, statisticians, and data users from national, regional, and international organizations, as well as academia and the private sector, the event attracted over 500 participants from 107 countries.
In his keynote address, Rasheed Al Maraj, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), highlighted the CBB's commitment to developing official statistics, with a particular focus on enhancing monetary and financial stability and ensuring the sustainable growth of the financial sector. The bank's policies and initiatives depend on high-quality official statistics that can be effectively managed and published, and this information empowers financial institutions as well as the general public.
Furthermore, Al Maraj stressed the CBB's commitment to providing transparent monthly and annual statistical publications, and its use of digital technologies to improve data accessibility and utilization.
In his talk, he explained the role of central banks in decision-making processes and their interactions with international bodies like the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank, noting that this reduces errors and speeds up data exchange. The importance of adopting the SDMX initiative, its influence on enhancing these institutions' data management capabilities, and its contribution to building a more comprehensive and coherent global ecosystem for financial data have been highlighted by him.
SDMX and data empower data communities, according to the Governor, who emphasized the need to provide unified, accessible, usable, transparent, and relevant information.
According to him, Bahraini entities are embracing the SDMX initiative to secure their position at the forefront of innovation and progress in the global data revolution.
In his speech, the Chief Executive of the iGA, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, emphasized the iGA's core principles and unwavering commitment to making Bahrain a digital society in accordance with the vision of the senior leadership and the directives of the Prime Minister. The Minister of Interior and Chairman of the MCICT, Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa.
As a result of these visions and directives, the Kingdom's digital transformation journey has been driven, emphasizing the importance of data as a driving force for change, enhancing quality of life, and foster a more connected society. Over 630 government services are successfully provided via a variety of efficient and easy-to-use digital channels, demonstrating the Kingdom's progress.
According to Al Qaed, effective digital initiatives require accurate, useful data, optimal use of advanced technologies, and supportive digital regulations, such as the Personal Data Protection Act and the One-Time Data Policy. According to him, the Kingdom's comprehensive eGovernment strategy integrates more than 15 major systems and more than ten national systems, along with online public services available to individuals, government agencies, and the private sector. A seamless, convenient, and efficient eGovernment experience has been made possible by this advanced digital infrastructure.
A number of data initiatives have been showcased by iGA's Chief Executive that have improved governance and facilitated innovation in the Kingdom. Among these were the 2010 population census with administrative records, the Bahrain Open Data Portal, the National SDG’s Portal, and general surveys like the Consumer Price Index and household income and expenditure surveys.
GCC-Stat uses statistical information to support decision-making, research, and dialogue within Gulf countries, he said. The Center was also recognized by the World Bank in 2018 as one of the top 10 international institutions for open data readiness. Among the achievements of the Center are the GCC Strategic Plan for Joint Statistical Work, which was a result of the support provided by GCC countries; unification of standards and methodologies for several projects, such as the coordination of administrative records for the 2020 population census and employment survey; development of models and indicators to measure the implementation of joint GCC projects; etc.
Al Qaed said that the SDMX Initiative offers the tools required to address regional challenges, harness opportunities, and contribute significantly to global statistics dialogues. The 'Marsa' platform, which connects all six national statistical offices with GCC-Stat, has been used to implement this initiative across the GCC. SDMX and the NSDP exchange indicator are used to automate data collection and exchange, enabling automatic sharing of statistical and descriptive data within the SDMX framework.
According to the President of the General Authority for Statistics, Dr. Fahd Al-Dosari, official statistics are using a broader range of methodologies and mechanisms, as well as methods for collecting and analyzing data and developing statistical indicators. As a result, the exchange of statistical and descriptive data has become increasingly important to the data community, and therefore the global SDMX initiative was launched in response to rapid technological advancements and ongoing demand for large, information-rich datasets. Through this initiative, the data community will be empowered and mechanisms at the local and international levels will be modernized and unified.
On behalf of the SDMX initiative sponsors, Bert Kroese, Director of Statistics and Chief Statistician at the International Monetary Fund, stated that the exchange of statistical data and metadata has become a necessity for data communities as official statistical mechanisms and methods have broadened, as have methods and techniques for collecting and analyzing data. A growing demand for large and informative data sets led to the launch of the international SDMX initiative. In addition to providing up-to-date data to the data community, it also aims to unify methodologies, whether at a national or international level. Through user forums, technical assistance services, and various events, the initiative provides access to a specialized global community.
Eric Anvar, Head of Smart Data at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), addressed the importance of SDMX as an enabling tool for artificial intelligence and statistical data exchange. In his remarks, he discussed open sources and their impact on improving access to and rapid updating of data. Reviewing the most notable open-source applications used by organizations around the world, he discussed how to link them and develop databases between them. Moreover, he stressed the importance of experts and specialists in dealing with applications in an optimal manner.
An open-source, interactive web application that efficiently reads specification files and retrieves data from SDMX Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) resulted from the Hackathon, which featured talented developers and data experts from local, regional, and international institutions. As a result, a dynamic and interactive dashboard was created.
The conference will host a series of discussions and workshops focused on SDMX from 29th October to 2nd November. This event is co-sponsored by the United Nations (UN), the World Bank Group, the IMF, the OECD, the BIS, the European Central Bank, and the International Labor Organization (ILO). Additionally, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the Central Bank of Italy are supporting the event.