Within the framework of the Single Market Programme (SMP) of the European Union, Eurostat has declared the project MNO-MINDS as the winner of the SMP-ESS-2022-TSS-METH-TOOLS-IBA. The acronym MNO-MINDS stands for Mobile Network Operator Methods for Integrating New Data Sources. The project is led by Istat, as coordinator, together with nine other European National Statistical Institutes as partners (Austria, Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden and Portugal).

The project fits into the framework of the Trusted Smart Statistics Strategy and Roadmap adopted in 2019, by implementing the Bucharest memorandum on official statistics in a datafied society and moves its steps drawing on all the previous experiences on big data in the ESS.

Its objective is to propose new methodologies for the integration of Mobile Network Operator (MNO) data with other non-MNO data sources for the production of regular official statistics and foresees the production of guidelines and the provision of training courses to prepare the European Statistical System for the use of the new methodologies for such integration.

Started on 1 November 2023, the project MNO-MINDS will end on 30 November 2025.

The project activities are structured into four work-packages (WPs):

• WP1 - coordination, management, dissemination;
• WP2 - landscaping analysis of possible non-MNO data sources to be integrated with MNO data;
• WP3 - development of methodologies and open-source tools for integrating MNO and non-MNO data sources; 
• WP4 - proof-of-concept of an ad-hoc survey to improve MNO data.

 The project has also a dedicated webpage on Istat official website .