Institute succeeds in getting UPR Planning School to access data to maintain accreditation

The Institute of Statistics presents StatBot 2.0, a smarter, more conversational, and more accurate version of its virtual assistant.

The new version significantly improves how citizens access, search for, and find official statistical information.

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics has announced the launch of StatBot 2.0, an upgraded version of its virtual information assistant, designed to offer a more natural, efficient, and accessible experience for people searching for statistical data and other content published by the institution.

The new version incorporates major advancements in natural language understanding, information retrieval, and conversational interaction, allowing citizens to ask questions in their own words without needing to know specific technical terms or the exact location of information on the institutional website.

"With StatBot 2.0, we are taking an important step toward more intuitive interaction between the public and public information. Our goal is to facilitate access to available data and content through a search experience that is simpler, more efficient, and closer to how people speak in everyday life," said Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

Key improvements in StatBot 2.0 include a greater ability to understand naturally phrased queries, identify information related to the user's intent, and provide more accurate and relevant answers. Additionally, the tool now maintains conversation context, allowing citizens to ask follow-up questions without having to restart each query. The tool is available through the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics website.

"Often, people know what information they need, but they don't necessarily know where it is published or how to find it. StatBot 2.0 helps bridge that gap by better interpreting user needs and guiding them to the relevant content more quickly and effectively," added Dr. Disdier.

The new platform incorporates a more flexible knowledge base that allows for the integration and organization of diverse information sources, expanding the variety of queries it can handle. This architecture facilitates continuous content updates, allowing for the progressive strengthening of the quality and coverage of responses as citizens' information needs evolve.

The benefits of the new version include:

• Greater understanding of questions asked in natural language.

• More effective searches and more relevant results.

• More accurate answers directly related to the queries.

• Ability to maintain context during the conversation.

• Easier access to information without needing to know the website's structure.

• More natural and conversational interactions.

• Better guidance for citizens when they are not sure exactly what to look for.

• Integration of multiple information sources.

• Greater ease in updating and expanding the system's knowledge.

StatBot 2.0 is part of the Institute of Statistics' ongoing efforts to ensure Puerto Rico has complete, reliable, and universally accessible statistics. However, despite the improvements made to StatBot, it is important to keep in mind that, like any automated system, the responses provided may be incorrect or contain errors. Likewise, the tool will not necessarily present the user with an exhaustive list of all available information. Responses are automated and may not be accurate or complete. If you have questions about the information provided by the tool, we recommend requesting assistance through the Institute's contact page: https://www.estadisticas.pr.gov/contacto.

Statistics Institute invites Research and Development organizations to participate in Puerto Rico's second 2012-13 Science and Technology Survey