Abstract

The Digital Age and the increase in the volume of data have become an opportunity for National Statistical Offices (NSOs) to reposition themselves with new tasks and functions regarding public administration data management. There has been a wave of renewal in various National Statistical Systems (NSS) around the world, especially in responding to emerging threats such as the unethical use of data and the proliferation of fake news.

In this dynamic data ecosystem, to ensure best practices in data management, it is necessary to develop broad and efficient coordination between all the actors, whether institutional, such as producers, or users and stakeholders. New mechanisms for collaboration and cohesion between the system's actors are needed to overcome data availability and integration obstacles.

In this context, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) faces challenges in modernizing its statistical and geoscientific production to exercise its role as coordinator of the Brazilian NSS, as conferred by law, while at the same time experiencing an opportunity to transfer knowledge and positively influence the growing community of data producers and users in the country. In this respect, the unique position of an NSO in guaranteeing the quality of information production, data protection, and user confidence is worth highlighting.

As an initiative in this direction, IBGE, through the Dialogues Project, has established purposeful and democratic internal debates to structure and comprehensively internalize this issue, designing strategic paths that point to reflections and actions necessary for the Institute and the NSS in Brazil to mature. This vision of the future aims to achieve an integrated system of official statistical and geospatial information, to contribute to the country's social, economic, and environmental development.

One of the fundamental pillars of the NSSs is governance, linked to the links and relationships necessary for their dynamics and maintenance. Governance has functions external to NSOs, such as establishing collaboration in multi-stakeholder networks and sharing knowledge in inter-institutional alliances. The main responsibilities of the leadership of this system include drawing up a national strategy and promoting interoperable norms and standards.

Given this scenario, the following questions have arisen: what are the most appropriate mechanisms, in the Brazilian context, to promote the strengthening of data management? How will the IBGE be repositioned and coordinated with the other players in the NSS? Is the IBGE prepared to cover, in addition to its statistical and geoscientific production, the emerging functions of data management? What investments and organizational efforts will be required to redesign the INE and the SEN in Brazil?

The discussions converged on the fact that a renewed system of official statistical and geospatial information in Brazil needs to be structured and integrated with a broad and effective articulation between its parts. It also requires the implementation of new legal structures and the establishment of partnerships, which will be the basis of the system's legitimacy. To this end, it is essential to generate synergies and beneficial interdependencies between the components, to create and share value while preserving their autonomy.