About The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS)

Established in 1949, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) is an independent government agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating statistical data about Israel. As a cornerstone of national data collection and analysis, CBS plays a crucial role in informing decision-making across various sectors, including government, academia, and the private sector.

Challenge

CBS faced significant limitations with their on-premises data infrastructure, which drove them to embark on Project Nimbus—a groundbreaking initiative aimed at modernizing the way census data is accessed and visualized. As the first of its kind - a “once-in-a-decade" type of project, it set the stage for a series of future initiatives designed to gradually transition CBS to the cloud. This comprehensive approach aimed to:

• Enhance Accessibility: Simplify data access and improve the user experience (UX) for stakeholders. The aging on-premises system made data exploration cumbersome, and Project Nimbus aimed to make it more user-friendly.
• Boost Visualization Capabilities: Leverage advanced data visualization tools to unlock deeper analytical insights. The previous system lacked the capabilities to fully explore and understand the data.
• Increase Scalability and Agility: Facilitate faster deployment of new data-driven solutions by adopting a scalable cloud platform. This would allow CBS to adapt to growing data volumes and user demands more efficiently.
• Ensure Robust Security: Maintain robust security throughout the migration process and within the cloud environment. Protecting sensitive data remained a top priority during the transition.

Solution

Recognizing the limitations of CBS's on-premises infrastructure, Commit, a leading Google Cloud Premier Partner, was selected to join CBS as part of Project Nimbus, guiding the first steps toward a cloud-based future. Commit's expertise ensured a seamless transition with a focus on security, scalability, and user experience.

• Security Focus: Commit prioritized security by leveraging Google Cloud’s native features. This approach ensured the protection of CBS's vast amount of sensitive data throughout the migration process and within the cloud environment. Additionally, Commit utilized services like BigQuery, a powerful big data warehouse offered by Google Cloud that provided a scalable platform for storing and analyzing the massive datasets collected by CBS. This ensured CBS could readily access and analyze their data for deeper insights.
  
  
• Data Insights and Visualization: Commit also focused on unlocking data insights for CBS with Looker Embedded. Looker's intuitive interface empowers CBS to build dynamic and user-friendly dashboards, allowing public users to easily explore and analyze data. By integrating seamlessly with BigQuery, Looker provides real-time access to CBS's massive datasets, facilitating deeper analytical insights. This empowers informed decision-making across various sectors.

Results

The collaboration between Commit, Google Cloud, and CBS has already begun to yield significant benefits, setting the stage for future projects that will continue to enhance CBS’s data infrastructure. Most notably, CBS experienced a marked improvement in their time-to-market for new data-driven solutions, translating to faster decision-making and a more agile approach to innovation.

Additionally, the user experience (UX) on their website saw a major upgrade, thanks to the intuitive interface of Looker Embedded. CBS now also benefits from the inherent scalability of the cloud environment, allowing them to adapt more seamlessly to growing data volumes and user demands.

While Project Nimbus represents a crucial first step in CBS’s cloud journey, the success of this initiative has laid the groundwork for more projects of this magnitude, ultimately moving CBS closer to a full cloud migration over time. As CBS continues to transition more services to the cloud, they can expect to unlock even greater efficiencies and capabilities.

"We extend our appreciation to Edgar and the entire team for leading this project with professionalism, skillfully setting it up, and developing creative solutions under extremely tight timelines. Despite the challenges, the team's calm and composed approach was greatly valued. We look forward to continued collaboration."

‍Sari Paz, Director of Data Bank & Website, CBS

‍