Simplified data production
Reduced time-to-market from data collection to data dissemination
Improved timeliness of accessible data
Enabled cross-department cooperation that significantly enhance data products
Increased functionality of data for the public and for decision-makers
The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) uses Google Cloud to create a new, user-friendly data access and visualization platform.
The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) uses Google Cloud to create a new, user-friendly data access and visualization platform.
From zero to advanced data products in four months
I've worked in this field for over three decades. I've never seen a data project with this scale and, simultaneously, with such quick execution. Google Cloud's capabilities enabled us to do everything - infrastructure plus development plus project operation- in just four months. I call it skipping a generation in technology.
Sari Paz
Director of Application Development (Dissemination), Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) collects and publishes statistics on a variety of topics in the fields of demography, economics, and society in Israel, but the technology they were working limited their abilities to process the data quickly. Dissemination of the data was limited to publications, data generators, and an API. This raised the level for data access and consumption to only those segments of the population who were highly motivated to find and understand this data.
In order to make the available data as updated as possible, and simultaneously build a user experience that would facilitate access to that data for everyone, from students to public policymakers, the CBS engaged with Google Cloud.
Setting up cloud infrastructure was a new experience for the CBS, who had been relying on available technology, including systems and tools that had been developed in-house. Despite the novelty, it took only four months to ramp up from nothing to the release of the first intensive data project. This four-month period encompassed all the infrastructure setup, development, and project execution.
"I've worked in this field for over three decades. I've never seen a data project with this scale and, simultaneously, with such quick execution," shares Sari Paz, Director of Application Development (Dissemination) at the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. "Google Cloud's capabilities enabled us to do everything - infrastructure plus development plus project operation- in just four months. I call it skipping a generation in technology."
Powering data-driven decisions for the entire country
The CBS' first complete data product using Google Cloud was the 2022 Census Data site. Anyone can easily access interactive dashboards on all categories of data collected in the census, with the ability to drill down to small statistics areas (neighborhoods). Data can be compared visually between any two geographic units, and across years back to the 1972 census.
In comparison, data for the last Israeli census in 2008 was only available in PDF formats for each geographic unit. Any comparison or analysis had to be done manually and with great effort by the user.
The CBS' choice of BigQuery for data accessibility and Looker for its visualization capabilities resulted in up-to-date, user-friendly, and ultimately much more useful data for decision-making. The increased ability for policymakers to access, compare, and understand the data paves the way for better decision-making and budgeting when it comes to education, housing, transportation, employment, and many other fields of importance to Israeli society.
The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics is a data production factory. We need to meet the needs of our users, from government ministries making public policy decisions to individual citizens. All of these users want understandable data, accessible on their phones. Google Cloud enabled us to make that a reality.
Sari Paz
Director of Application Development (Dissemination), Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
"The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics is a data production factory. We need to meet the needs of our users, from Israeli government ministries making public policy decisions to individual citizens," notes Paz. "All of these users want understandable data, accessible on their phones. Google Cloud enabled us to make that a reality."
The next development target is AI-powered free text search, which the CBS feels will make better data access.
Simplifying the path to synergetic data collaboration
Our mission is to use the data of the citizens for the good of the citizens. In an interconnected world, this increasingly means collaborations with other national and international bodies. Google Cloud smooths the way to fruitful collaborative projects that would have been difficult or impossible before.
Sari Paz
Director of Application Development (Dissemination), Israel Central Bureau of Statistics
The Google Cloud solutions facilitate joint projects with other government institutes. For the 2022 Census Data project, the CBS collaborated with the Survey of Israel department to connect and display maps as part of the visual data.
More collaborations are underway, such as the project collecting data about Israelis 65+, which is being done in conjunction with The Joint organization and seven other Israel government organizations.
"Our mission is to use the data of the citizens for the good of the citizens," explains Paz. "In an interconnected world, this increasingly means collaborations with other national and international bodies. Google Cloud smooths the way to fruitful collaborative projects that would have been difficult or impossible before."
The ability to have updated, accessible, user friendly, visually displayed data is also important for collaborations between Israel's public sector and international organizations. One example is the Wellbeing and Quality of Life project, where the standards of the international bodies require that the CBS' data be available in a visual dashboard format suitable for analysis.
The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) is an Israeli national statistics office established in 1949 in order to collect, process, and publish statistical data about the population, economy, and society in Israel, for decision-makers, policymakers, and the general public.
Industry: Government
Location: Israel
Products: BigQuery, Looker, Apigee, Cloud Armor
