Dissemination and communication as an integral part of European statisticsSeminar on emerging trends in data communication and statistics, New York 19.02.2010
Walter Radermacher / Pieter Everaers, Eurostat
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Robert M. Pirsig:Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
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The art of maintaining quality in statistics
Actuality
Comparability
Response burden
Accuracy
Efficiency
Relevance
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Statistics and the German State, 1900–1945: the making of modern economic knowledge, Tooze, J.A., Cambridge, 2001
The Politics of Large Numbers – A History of Statistical Reasoning, Desrosières, A., Cambridge, Mass./ London 1998
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Where are we coming from – Where are we going?
„Statistics“ is the empirical branch of the science of state (German: Statistik –> Staatswissenschaften)
Official statistics (political/administrative position, working methods) reflect the development of societies in particular the specific relationship between state and citizens
Some factors create different political settings: Constitution (democratic, authoritative) Institutional set-up of economy (market, planification) Society (closed/national, globalised) Main sectors of economic production Dynamics of structural change (slow, fast)
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Statistics in a pre-democratic society
State = authority = single constituent = single user Information needs defined by request of king or
alternative authority First Statistical „Authorities“ as institutions Slow change processes (industrialisation) Development of work system with a small scientific
loading Production in special processes; survey (obligatory
response) based on authority of statistical institution Dissemination dominated by the user „State“, general
publications as by-product
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Statistics in a democracy / global info society
State is one user as all others (“citizens first”) Information needs defined in a dynamic and complex
interaction (open platforms etc.) Statistical “Services” Rapid change processes, horizontal issues, cross-national
phenomena Development of work system with a very high scientific
loading Production in integrated processes; surveys limited to areas
without existing data Dissemination = Communication = public good “Statistics”
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Statistic users and producers: Interactions
Users of statistics Producers of statistics
information need
use
knowledge
statistical information
statisticaldata + metadata
worksystem
conducting ofprocesses,provision ofproducts and services
discussion / definition• perception patterns• programmes• products
communication
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Information needs:
StatisticsPublic
Opinion
Science
Politics
Institutional setup
How are they defined?
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Reengineering of statistical production
1:1 Stovepipes Multiple Source / Multiple Purpose
Survey Table
Survey Table
Survey Table
Survey Table
Survey
Survey
Register
Register
Survey
Data Ware-houses
Macrodata
Access
Microdata
Mesodata
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Assertions:
1. We are not user-oriented
2. We have failed to take advantage of statistics as spatial information
3. Other people may be better than us at delivering data to users
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We see.....
News releases
Dedicated sections
Statistics in Focus
Data in Focus
RAMON
CODEDYearbooks
PocketbooksLeaflets Data publications
Methodological publicationsESMS metadata
Statistics Explained
1: user orientation
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The user wants....
Data
Metadata Explanations
Analysis Explanations
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How can we re-think our products from the user perspective?
hire non-statisticians to manage dissemination talk to users watch users talk to the user helpdesks make life easy for all users
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Example: Statistics Explained
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2: statistics as spatial information
Our world
The physical
world
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How can we bring spatial information into our products?
if an NSI holds geo-coded data, use them in dissemination and make them re-useable
Encourage and reward creative use of spatial information within your organisation
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3: reusability
Opening up the data files =– users find new ways to visualise data– users find new ways to combine data– users find new ways to analyse data
Works for– spatial data– Microdata– all statistical data….
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“Cooked” “Raw”
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What can we do?
Simple: a collection of files on an accessible server
Advanced: use SDMX Make sure users can find easily documents
to explain what is in the data and how to access them
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Why is SDMX important here?
common data model for many kinds of statistics
unified system for data and metadata rich set of re-useable software for
processing and visualising data
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Example of shareable SDMX-based visualisation tool – the ECB inflation dashboard
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User orientation Spatial data Reuseability
3 assertions – 1 common thread
Dissemination = opening up the value inherent in our data
Thank you for your attention!
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat