Metadata Working Group

Jean HELLER

EUROSTAT

Directorate A: Statistical Information System

Unit A-3: Reference data bases

Objective: to provide ESS with a coherent, stable and functional metadata environment that allows users to have a high-quality information on statistical data.

1. Harmonisation of metadata definitions and basic elements on the basis of agreed international standards.

2. Good coordination of the metadata process within Eurostat and member States (metadata architecture).

3. Good exchange of information with member States and partner organisations.

1. Harmonisation of metadata elements

METIS 1995: Guidelines for the Modelling of Statistical Data and Metadata (Methodological Material).

METIS 1996: Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS).

METIS 1999: Guidelines for Statistical Metadata on Internet.

METIS 2000 (28-30 November 2000): Harmonisation of terminology, Improved cooperation and metadata exchange, use of XML.

METIS 2002 (Luxembourg, 6-8 March 2002)

Special Data Dissemination Standard

Contacts and dissemination formats

The data (coverage, periodicity, timeliness) Access by the public (release calendar, simultaneous release) Integrity (terms and conditions, access before release,

commentaries, info on data revisions and changes in meth.) Quality (info on methodology and sources, info that support

cross-checks and “assurance of reasonableness”)

Summary Methodology (concepts and definitions, scope of the data, accounting conventions, nature of basic data, compilation practices)

Data and Metadata Models

Several models/schemas developed by international organisations (Eurostat, IMF, OECD...) and national agencies.

Getting everyone to agree on and use the same model is a sort of “mission impossible”.

Agree on a statistical vocabulary for the exchange and sharing of statistical information. “Atomic level”.

STATISTICAL GLOSSARIES

Metadata dissemination

typology/formats

Metadata elements

Statistical glossaries

IMF (SDDS)

BOC (SDMS)

Stats Can (IMDB)

OECD (MEI)

Eurostat (MT)

Statistical life-cycle (collection, production, storage, dissemination)

International statistical standards (UN, ILO, IMF, Eurostat, OECD, etc)

Metadata Standard Components

Metadata elements describing different elements of statistical production cycle

Administrative,

Sources

Concepts,

coverage,

definitions

Standards Methodology

(collection,

accounting,

compilation,...)

Quality and

performance

Unambiguous accepted definition of metadata elements (Glossary)

EPROS meeting, Luxembourg22-23 October 2001

4CES

Objectives

to develop proposals for standards in the methodology used fordescribing statistical metadata and statistical information systems

to develop proposals for recommendations on the metadata objects in acommon conceptual model of statistical metadata

to disseminate these proposed standards to the relevant usercommunities and standards bodies

to interact with relevant FP5 projects on the development andagreement of these proposals, and to advise on methods of achievingcoherence of approach in the field of metadata for statisticalinformation systems

to integrate the different views of metadata into one model and bring

together these different perspectives.

2. Coordination of the metadata process in ESS

RAMON(NOMENCLATURES) hierarchical lists correspondences dates of validity

DATA(statObject)

TEXT SERVER typology of texts components standard formats

CODED concepts and

definitions

THESEUS(Reference Thesaurus) semantic classes keywords, synonyms hierarchical and associative relations

access to data via menus, keywords, publications through the metaservers

Life cycle of STATISTICAL INFORMATION

INPUT ACQUISITION AGGREGATION OUTPUT DELIVERY

Finalize observation register

Statistical modellingSurvey preparation Presentation

DisseminationData collection Estimation

Data preparation

Observation modelling

Population modelling

Frame preparation

Sampling

Tables

Graphs

Other presentation forms

Traditional publications

On line databases

Other electronic media

Contact sources

Observation

Data preparation at source

Point estimations

Estimation of sampling errors

Estimation of other quality

Other estimations & analyses

Data entry

Coding

Data editing

3. Good exchange of information

A common agreement on global metadata requirements ( XML).

Mapping of generic metadata items and dissemination standards.

Agreement on which metadata elements are covered by Gesmes exchange tools.

Exploring Gesmes functions that could help transmitting metadata or information on where metadata are available (meta-metadata, links).

Metadata “Labyrinth”

ESCB

OECD

IMF EUROSTAT

CountryCountry

CountryCountry

CountryCountryCountry X

A Common Metadata Gateway (Portal)

ESCB

OECD

IMF EUROSTAT

CountryCountry

CountryCountry

CountryCountryCountry X

XML for exchanging statistical information

It is a standard

It fits into our work XML simplifies the exchange and the standardisation of the

information. XML simplifies the access and understanding of complex documents. XML keeps structure separate from presentation.

There is an XML momentum and a common interest in XML

XML emphasises the document structure

XML is a syntax: you need to standardise the content

SDMX: Common Statement by Participating Institutions

The BIS, ECB, EUROSTAT, IMF, OECD and the UN have joined together to focus on business practices in the field of statistical information that would allow more efficient processes for exchange and sharing of data and metadata within the current scope of our collective activities.

The goal is to explore common e-standards and ongoing standardisation activities that could allow us to gain efficiency and avoid duplication of effort in our own work and possibly for the work of others in the field of statistical information.

We intend to do this by taking advantage of existing and emerging: exchange protocols, such as GESMES/CB which was implemented by central banks for exchanging time series; dissemination formats, such as that implicit in the IMF Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board (DSBB); e-standards, such as Extensible Mark-up Language (XML).