ITU Big Data Project
The ITU is at the forefront of advancing the use of mobile phone big data (MPD) to enhance statistical systems and inform evidence-based policymaking. Through its 'Mobile Phone big Data for Measuring the Information Society' initiative, ITU focuses on
developing methodologies that harness the potential of mobile phone data to complement traditional data sources. This work includes creating analytical tools (such as the
ITU Jupyter Notebooks) designed to process and analyze large volumes of mobile phone data efficiently and accurately for information society indicators.
In addition to methodological development, ITU provides comprehensive support to countries aiming to build their capacity in using mobile phone data. This includes technical assistance and training workshops to help national statistical offices, regulators and relevant stakeholders integrate mobile phone big data into their statistical systems. By strengthening institutional capacities, ITU aims to help countries improve the timeliness, quality, and granularity of their information society data, ultimately supporting more informed decision-making processes.
Another key component of ITU’s efforts is fostering international collaboration with leading experts in the field of mobile phone big data. Since 2018, ITU plays a critical leadership role as the chair of the
UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics (UN-CEBD) Task Team on Mobile Phone Data. This Task Team brings together more than 50 international experts from diverse organizations who are actively working on various applications of mobile phone data. Under ITU’s leadership, the Task Team facilitates knowledge exchange, promotes best practices, and drives the development of standardized approaches for the responsible and effective use of mobile phone data in official statistics. These partnerships enable the sharing of best practices, technical expertise, and innovative solutions, contributing to the continuous improvement of methodologies for data analysis of mobile phone data.
In July 2023 during the World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS), the ITU and the World Bank's Development Data Group announced a
collaboration to integrate Mobile Phone Data (MPD) into national data systems across 30 countries by 2030. This initiative, supported by the World Bank-hosted Global Data Facility, aims to enhance policymaking by leveraging MPD for real-time insights. The collaboration focuses on developing local capacities in the use of mobile phone data in addressing the current gap for policymaking.
Countries participating in the ITU project are:
We invite other countries interested in participating in the project to contact the ITU at:
indicators@itu.int.