The 12th edition of the International Conference "Use of R in Official Statistics" (uRos2024 / X: @uRosconf), hosted by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), took place in Piraeus, Greece, from 27 to 29 November 2024. Organised by the National Institute of Statistics of Romania, this event brought together 94 participants from 22 countries, including statisticians, data analysts, academic researchers, and private sector professionals. Representatives of international organisations such as Eurostat and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) joined the conference, underscoring its global relevance.
The conference promotes the use and development of the R statistical software and other complementary applications in official statistics. After three virtual editions (2020–2022) and a physical edition hosted by Romania's National Institute of Statistics in 2023, the 2024 conference offered a unique platform for in-person collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Keynote Speakers
The conference featured two internationally renowned keynote speakers from the R community:
- Sandra Barragán (INE, Spain) presented on the use and purpose of R software in official statistics, highlighting its benefits in modernising statistical processes.
- Romain Lesur (INSEE, France) discussed the transition from SAS to R and the opportunities this shift offers for modernising statistical workflows.
Conference Programme
The three-day conference included tutorials and scientific sessions. The detailed programme featured:
Day 1: Tutorials
- "nonprobsvy: an R package for modern methods for non-probability surveys"
Lecturers: Łukasz Chrostowski and Maciej Beręsewicz (Polish Statistical Office). - "R packages around JDemetra+: a versatile toolbox for time series analysis"
Lecturers: Anna Smyk and Tanguy Barthelemy (INSEE, France). - "Data validation"
Lecturer: Mark van der Loo (Netherlands Statistical Office).
Days 2 and 3: Scientific Sessions
Topics covered included:
- R in Organisation: Use of R for statistical production within organisations.
- Machine Learning and AI: Synergies between R and Artificial Intelligence.
- Data Cleaning: Data validation and cleaning in R.
- NLP and Time Series: Time series analysis and natural language processing.
- New Data Sources: Leveraging new data sources and automating reporting.
- Sampling and Estimation: Advanced sampling and estimation methods in R.
- Disclosure Control, Dissemination, and Visualisation: Visualisation and dissemination of official statistics.
Outcomes and Future Perspectives
The conference marked a significant milestone for the international R user community. The 2025 edition will take place in Romania, continuing the tradition of alternating host countries.
Since 2018, uRos conferences have alternated between Romania and another host country. The first foreign-hosted edition took place in 2018, organised by the Netherlands Statistical Office (CBS). Subsequent editions were held online in 2020 (Statistics Austria) and in Canada in 2022 (StatCan). In 2024, the conference in Piraeus was organised by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) in collaboration with the Romanian National Institute of Statistics and traditional partners, i.e., Statistics Austria and CBS Netherlands, along with the Ecological University of Bucharest and the University of Bucharest.
Publications and Resources
Conference presentations will be available online at the official website: www.urosconf.org. Participants may submit their presented papers for publication in the Romanian Statistical Review and R Journal, ensuring broader dissemination of their research findings within the statistical and R user communities.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks are extended to the organising committee, the scientific committee, the R-omanian Team, and the conference's scientific secretariat for their efforts in making this event a success.
Through this event, the Romanian National Institute of Statistics underscores its ongoing commitment to innovation and international collaboration in official statistics, reinforcing its leadership role in promoting the use of R software both in Romania and globally. At the same time, the collaboration between the Institute, other national statistical offices, and academia forms a vital component for adopting best practices, fostering knowledge transfer, and promoting excellence in statistical research.
