Abstract

The Copenhagen Framework on Citizen Data calls for inclusive, participatory, and people-centred approaches across the whole data value chain. It recognizes communities not only as subjects of data, but also as active users and producers of information. From this perspective, the value of official statistics is not given a priori, but is progressively constructed along the data value chain. This construction rests on two complementary dimensions. The first is data linkage, understood as the technical production and data integration. The second is data analytic capacity, which covers data literacy, capacity building, and communication strategies. The value of statistical and geospatial information increases when both dimensions are addressed.

This session presents the strategies adopted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) to promote the accessibility and usability of information on Favelas and Urban Communities (Favelas e Comunidades Urbanas, FCUs) from the 2022 Population and Housing Census. It focuses on the end of the chain: from publication to impact. IBGE’s approach seeks to ensure that data are both accessible and usable. It offers several paths to access information:

• Panorama do Censo: This is the main entry point. It offers rapid access to key indicators on favelas for a broad, non-specialist audience.
• Statistical platform (SIDRA): Users can download statistical data on FCUs for the whole country, which supports more detailed quantitative analysis.
• Interactive Geographic Platform (PGI): Users can explore, visualize, and perform basic spatial analyses, and can download geospatial data on FCUs covering the entire national territory.
• Further resources: These include analytical publications and special tabulations on the IBGE website, which give specialized users deeper interpretation and customized outputs.

Building on these access channels, IBGE carries out capacity development to foster data literacy across society. In-person workshops are held with residents of favelas and urban communities and with specialized public institutions. These workshops show how to access, interpret, and use the available data. They strengthen the ability of communities and local stakeholders to use official statistics in their own analyses, advocacy, and decision-making. To extend this effort beyond face-to-face settings, IBGE also runs virtual workshops to reach a wider and more geographically diverse audience.

These experiences show how a National Statistical Office can combine technical data production with deliberate investment in user literacy and capacity, an approach that treats dissemination as a value-adding stage rather than an end point. By offering diverse access pathways and promoting data literacy among both communities and institutions, IBGE seeks to ensure that data on some of Brazil’s most vulnerable urban territories are not only produced about these communities, but also become a resource for them, supporting their empowerment.