The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) made an international achievement in the field of mass data through the analysis of mass data from mobile phones, which constitute a major source for the production of official statistical indicators in the fields of tourism, population and traffic in Oman.

Recognized by the UN as a pioneering accomplishment, the project developed by the NCSI constitutes a turning point in producing official, high-quality indicators that serve as a mainstay for the management of a comprehensive scheme that supports decision making in the Sultanate. The scheme covers social, economic, environmental and cultural indicators of significance to assessing developmental performance.

The project aims to cut down the volume of statistical field surveys, increase the rate of response to requirements of development plans, limit the recurrence of family and corporate visits aimed to conduct field studies and cover new statistical fields that might be needed in development plans. Steps are underway to make the results of this project available shortly via NCSI portals and apps.

The NCSI has been invited by the UN Statistics Department to review the stages of the project whose results will be deliberated extensively during a seminar due to be held by the end of April 2021. The aim is to generalize benefits from this successful statistical experience in the local and international arenas.

The project has been executed through partnership between the NCSI and a number of parties, including the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), Omantel and Ooredoo.