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LOCALWednesday 8 March 2017
ECLAC Promotes Big Data Analytics for Sustainable
Development of Latin America and the Caribbean
-During a seminar held in Executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin data actors, who are most- and Telecommunications.
Santiago, Chile, the Unit- America and the Caribbean (Eclac) Alicia Bárcena. ly private,” the Executive Rodrigo Ramírez stressed
ed Nations regional body Secretary of the Economic that “in emergency con-
presented a project that (ECLAC Photo) Commission for Latin Amer- texts, such as those Chile
seeks to improve national ica and the Caribbean is accustomed to facing
capabilities for measuring take place, according to “One of our region’s main (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, on a permanent basis, the
the digital economy in the the specialists gathered at challenges is establishing said at the inauguration of world of big data manage-
region. a seminar held on 6 March a true dialogue between the seminar Think Big: Data ment becomes a crucial
at ECLAC’s headquarters in national statistics offices innovation in Latin America matter, including for saving
SANTIAGO, CHILE - Big data Santiago, Chile. and the most important big and the Caribbean, orga- lives.” He also underlined
analytics can improve de- nized jointly with the MIT the importance of creating
cision-making in critical ar- Sloan School of Manage- a regional digital market
eas for development, such ment’s Latin America Of- that can harness the digital
as health, employment, fice and the Brazil-based potential of Latin America
productivity, security and Regional Center for Studies and the Caribbean.
natural disaster manage- on the Development of the Alexandre Barbosa, mean-
ment, to name a few, but Information Society (CETIC. while, indicated that “mea-
for this to happen new al- br). surement plays a central
liances must be forged be- During the gathering, role in the international
tween all actors involved ECLAC officially launched agenda on sustainable de-
and true educational and the project “Big data for velopment” and that bod-
cultural revolutions must measuring and foster- ies such as ECLAC can play
ing the digital economy a very important role in
in Latin America and the promoting debate and re-
Caribbean,” financed by flecting upon the new tools
the United Nations Devel- needed to monitor country
opment Account (UNDA), progress on compliance
which seeks to improve na- with the Sustainable Devel-
tional capabilities for mea- opment Goals (SDGs).
suring the digital economy Roberto Rigobon, of MIT,
and designing evidence- also valued the leadership
based policies, by combin- shown by ECLAC in study-
ing big data analytics with ing issues related to the
traditional statistical tech- information society in Latin
niques. America and the Caribbe-
“Latin America and the Ca- an. According to him, tak-
ribbean has shown much ing advantage of big data
progress in the Internet of implies true revolutions in
consumption but not in the both educational and cul-
Internet of production,” Ali- tural arenas, and so he
cia Bárcena emphasized called on national statistics
during her presentation. offices and universities to
Other participants in the modernize and not let the
event’s inauguration in- opportunity to participate
cluded Rodrigo Ramírez, in this process pass them
Chile’s Telecommunica- by. The presentations by
tions Undersecretary; Al- Robert Kirkpatrick, Direc-
exandre Barbosa, Head of tor of Global Pulse – which
CETIC.br; Roberto Rigobon, is a United Nations initia-
Society of Sloan Fellows tive – and by Emmanuel
Professor of Management Letouzé, Director of Data-
and Professor of Applied Pop Alliance (a coalition
Economics at MIT Sloan formed by the Harvard
School of Management; Humanitarian Initiative, MIT
and Mario Cimoli, Director Media Lab, Overseas De-
of ECLAC’s Division of Pro- velopment Institute and
duction, Productivity and Flowminder Foundation),
Management. offered an overview of big
Keynote speeches were data use in the world, its
given by Robert Kirkpatrick, potential benefits and risks,
Director of UN Global Pulse, as well as opportunities for
and Emmanuel Letouzé, collaboration.
Director of Data-Pop Alli- Robert Kirkpatrick pointed
ance. Other speakers in- to several existing chal-
cluded Chilean Economy lenges regarding big data
Minister Luis Felipe Cés- analytics, warning of the
pedes and Marcelo Jen- ethical responsibility that
kins, Costa Rica’s Minister its use requires and of data
of Science, Technology access problems. q
