In the Book of Government Goals for 2022, The CBS committed “To increase the number of business processes in which a uniform and clear database was built, “from 15% of the data in 2021 to 50% in 2024. Now it is published how they plan to do this: the CBS has signed a nine-year contract with Matrix, which provides services Computing and information processing for a variety of government ministries.
The Matrix says that their subsidiary MatrixDnA Won the tender for the supply and operation for nine years of a central information storage system in a configuration Data Lake, Which means the establishment of an innovative administrative database, one of the largest established in the public sector in Israel. The establishment of the database is expected to significantly expand the CBS’s data production capabilities, thus leading to the advancement of data-based policies and the evaluation of the effectiveness of government actions, and a significant increase in the amount of public benefit research carried out at the CBS. No. 4753, regarding the establishment of a ‘Government Information Lake’.
“The large-scale project includes the establishment of a database that will include administrative information from the activities of government ministries and state institutions and the CBS ‘family and business surveys, the establishment of an information portal for licensed researchers and the establishment of a remote access work environment for researchers. Further down the road, the database will include the possibility of making data accessible to the public and other systems. ”
All in one place
The database comes to centralize all the information in the possession of the CBS in one place. Today, cross-disciplinary studies are required to go through a complex and cumbersome process to obtain the full data they need. , For example.
In addition, Matrix says that the project will allow remote access to files intended for research, so that researchers can conduct remote research and will not be required to physically reach the CBS research rooms. This will lead to a significant improvement over the time it takes to carry out each study and will allow a much larger amount of research to be done simultaneously. “
However, the research room will not yet be available for use by the general public, but only to “licensed researchers”. According to the CBS website, the status requires “recognition by the national statistician of the institution as a research institution, recognition of a researcher in the research institution and recognition of research, its connection to the CBS work and its contribution to the economy and society in Israel.”
“Leapfrog”
Prof. Danny Pepperman, National Statistics and Director of the CBS, stated that “Basing decisions on comprehensive, up-to-date, reliable and high-quality data, along with making information accessible to the public, are key values in the CBS ‘work. We are excited about the launch of the Information Lake project. A leap forward in the research and analysis capabilities of researchers who use CBS data and a significant milestone for our activities for the benefit of the public.
“This will be done while reducing exposure to cyber threats, in order to allow the processing and use of information by various consumers to be maximized, while strictly maintaining the confidentiality of individual data. We feel safe in the hands of a leading technology body like Matrix, which has all the necessary knowledge and experience. To provide a solution to all aspects of the Information Lake project. “
Assaf Timur, CEO of matrixDnA, added: “The collection, processing and publication of CBS data accompanies us as Israeli citizens in all areas of life, from the consumer price index in Israel, censuses, population surveys and businesses to the calculation of the average wage in the economy or gross domestic product. In a large-scale project involving different units in the Matrix, it is technologically complex due to the enormous amount of data, the multiplicity of systems and the sensitivity and importance of the information.
“For us it is a welcome opportunity to take the knowledge and experience we have accumulated over the years in favor of a national project that is expected to have a positive impact on the lives of all of us. The database will provide researchers with an innovative and effective research platform.”