A group of academics, students and researchers in the field of data analysis participated in the forum.

At the forum, specialists stressed the importance of paying more attention to statistics and data sciences, given that rapid technological progress contributes significantly to the increased availability of data.

Faisal Al-Sharabi, chairman of the board of directors of the ‎Professional Association of Statisticians and Data Scientists, said that the data and statistics sectors “await a very bright and positive future. Automation processes, artificial intelligence applications, and the Internet of Things are based on data, specifically big data, and therefore investing in it means investing in a data-based future‎.”

Abdullah Dahlan, chairman of the board of trustees of UBT, stressed the need to invest in data, while Ibrahim Al-Manjahie, president of SASS‎, said that forums such as this one play a major role in developing statistical knowledge and promoting research into its various applications in business and corporate sectors.

The forum focused on academic and official statistics, the future of business in light of data, and applications of statistics in social media.

Scientific courses and a workshop on statistics and data were held on the sidelines of the forum, supervised by the Professional Association of Statisticians and Data Scientists.