Page 310 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 4

STS637 Magued O.
the quality of decision making and the decision makers themselves are aware
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of such opportunity and willing to take advantage of it .
Several challenges are facing the statistical system in all countries. The
challenges include:
1) Reforming academic programs on the undergraduate level without
compromising the depth of theoretical statistics.
2) Designing training programs that are beyond traditional statistical
programs and widen the scope to address different issues related to
data science.
3) Managing fake information and opportunistic behaviors that
misinform the public and negatively affect trust in statistics.
4) Balancing individual privacy and general interest.
5) Collaborating with the owners of big data and convincing them of the
added value of statistics.

While some insist that Big Data may provide an opportunity to ‘leapfrog’
statistical systems in developing countries, others argue that Big Data is largely
Big Hype, and that traditional statistical concerns and methods limit its
applications for official statistics . Putting this debate aside, one can expect
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the emerging of a set of extra concerns that need to be considered by the
statistical system and the statistical community in developing countries:
1) Brain drain of talents moving from developing to developed countries.
This trend might aggravate with the increasing demand of companies
in nearly all sectors for data scientists. Such trend will limit the potential
of innovation disruptors to contribute to the growth of developing
countries.
2) Globalization and ownership of big data sets. Most of the players in
the big data era will be multinational companies. With new
technologies, these companies will own data sets of citizens of
developing countries to reinforce a new “big data divide” between
developed and developing countries. This trend is already happening
with the dominance of multinational companies in the
telecommunication sector, in the online commerce sector and in the
transportation sector.
3) Acquisition of start-ups and successful companies. Start-ups were
considered at one point of time a boost for the economy in the
developing world. They might not continue to do so as a strong trend
is emerging of acquisition and merging between companies that will
result in reducing the added value of these start-ups in creating jobs
and paying taxes in developing countries.

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