For attracting the interest of ESS countries not participating in MNO-MINDS project and subject matter experts, as well as for promoting the results of the research and facilitating the adoption of the methodologies behind, the project has organised a SPRINT session that took place in Vienna on 10-11 June 2024, hosted by Statistic Austria. It was a two-day workshop focused on exploring innovative methodologies for the integration of MNO data into official statistical production. The event made it possible to conduct together with the European Statistical System representatives, especially from the MNO Task Force, and domain experts a broad landscaping of potential data sources to be combined with MNO data.
In more detail, the event gave the opportunity to identify and prioritize non-MNO sources to be integrated with MNO data; to learn about the main principles of the methodology framework and to provide feedback and suggestions; to discuss objectives and the design of an ad-hoc survey to integrate and improve MNO-data statistics.
As part of the activities under Work Package 2, which focuses on the landscape analysis of non-MNO data sources, the event was organized in close coordination with Work Package 3 (Methodologies and open-source tools for integrating MNO and non-MNO data sources) and Work Package 4 (Proof of concept of an ad-hoc survey to improve MNO data), with guidance and support from Work Package 1, responsible for coordination, communication, and dissemination.
During the event, preliminary findings from the technical work packages were presented and discussed to inform the methodological work of WP3 and WP4. Methodological proposals from WP3 were introduced to participants to build consensus and gather feedback. Additionally, key elements of the ad-hoc survey approach proposed in WP4 were reviewed, and participants were invited to express interest in participating in a friendly test phase.
The partners along with the external experts worked together to identify, define, and prioritize the most promising non-MNO sources to be integrated with the MNO data, according to the priorities identified by the ESS members. To make the SPRINT the most profitable, the partners strongly relied on the support and commitment of Eurostat, both in the preparatory phase, e.g. selection of participants and involvement of the MNO Task Force and during the meeting itself, facilitating an active and motivated participation to stay focused on the objectives of the SPRINT.
Following the agenda, the first day, after the plenary session, two actively participated Working sessions were scheduled, addressing open issues on ad-hoc survey to reinforce MNO data and on Tourism statistics. The second day the agenda scheduled a very rich Working session to focus on Population statistics and Mobility with many demanding topics for discussion. The fourth Working session in agenda was about spatial/environmental statistics and simulation based on synthetic and semi-synthetic data. Distributed between the two days, there were also four presentation slots given by external experts that provided further insights to foster discussion and maximize productivity.
All attendees were encouraged to actively participate in the discussion: innovative ideas and informal exchanges were not just welcomed, but essential for the success of the four sessions. Some MNO-MINDS partners provided guidelines and proposals for articulating the debate and the discussion. The feedback and wrap-up from the groups was incredibly insightful.
