Professional exchange with federal data laboratories | 11.12.2023Collecting, using and sharing reliable data
With its digital strategy, the Federal Government wants to make data more accessible and usable in the future. As a federal departmental research institution, the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) plays an important role in this - an opportunity for an exchange in Wiesbaden with the data laboratory at the Federal Chancellery and Juliane Braun, Chief Data Scientist at the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI).
From left to right: Leonie Weber, Scientific Officer of the Director; Dr. Michael Jankowski, Data Scientist, Data Laboratory Federal Chancellery; Harun Sulak, Research Associate; Dr. Sebastian Klüsener, Research Director of the BiB and Head of the Research Area Ageing, Mortality and Population Dynamics
Source: © Sauerberg
An up-to-date and solid database is essential for political decision-making processes. During his visit to the BiB, Dr. Michael Jankowski, Data Scientist at the Federal Chancellery, will discuss current developments: In the context of the corona pandemic, the federal government has decided that the federal ministries and the Federal Chancellery will set up their own data laboratories and establish positions for Chief Data Scientists. The aim is to promote data analysis, data collection and data visualization and thus expand data expertise in the federal administration. The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community has also appointed a Chief Data Scientist, Juliane Braun, who joined the meeting online on November 16.
Open data: making data publicly accessible
Much of the data collected at the BiB is publicly accessible and can also be used by external parties for scientific analyses. These include, among others:
- „FReDA - The Family Demographic Panel“ is a scientific study that deals with the topic of relationships and family life in Germany. Several thousand randomly selected people aged 18 to 49 and their partners are surveyed nationwide.
- The „German Emigration and Remigration Panel Study (GERPS)“ examines the international mobility of people with German citizenship between the ages of 20 and 70.
- The „NAKO Gesundheitsstudie“ with 200,000 participants is investigating how illnesses can be better prevented, detected earlier and treated more effectively. BiB is responsible for recording the causes of death of the participants in the project.
Visualization: presenting data in an understandable and appealing way
On its website, the BiB also provides clear graphics with data on topics relating to demographic change. With around 250 illustrations and maps, the range of facts is an important source of clear information and covers areas such as population development, fertility, mortality, migration and lifestyles. A new topic filter makes it easier to select a suitable graphic. The graphics with short accompanying texts can be used freely, for example for presentations or publications. They are updated on an ongoing basis depending on data availability.