United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical DivisionUnited Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical Division

International Collaboration to Modernise Official Statistics

Steven ValeUNECE

steven.vale@unece.org

Introducing UNECE Statistics

Introducing UNECE Statistics

Introducing UNECE Statistics

UNECE Statistics: Priorities

Population censuses, migration, Millennium Development Goals

Globalisation, National Accounts, employment, business registers

Sustainable development, environmental accounts, climate change

Modernisation

Introducing the HLG

High-level Group for the Modernisation of Statistical Production and ServicesCreated by the Conference of European Statisticians in 2010Vision and strategy endorsed by CES in 2011/2012

Who are the HLG members?

Pádraig Dalton (Ireland) - Chairman Trevor Sutton (Australia) Wayne Smith (Canada) Emanuele Baldacci (Italy) Bert Kroese (Netherlands) Park, Hyungsoo (Republic of Korea) Genovefa Ružić (Slovenia) Walter Radermacher (Eurostat) Martine Durand (OECD) Lidia Bratanova (UNECE) 

What does the HLG do?

Oversees activities that support modernisation of statistical organisations

Stimulates development of global standards and international collaboration activities

“Within the official statistics community ... take a leadership and coordination role”

Why is the HLG needed?

Before the HLG Now

Many expert groups Clear vision

Little coordination Agreed priorities

No overall strategy Strategic leadership

Limited impact Real progress

The Challenges

These challenges are too big for statistical organisations to

tackle on their own

We need to work together

Using common standards, statistics can be produced

more efficiently

No domain is special!

Do new methods and toolssupport this vision, or do they

reinforce a stove-pipe mentality?

What has the HLG achieved?

2012• Generic Statistical Information Model

2013• Common Statistical Production Architecture• Frameworks and Standards for Statistical

Modernisation

2014• Implementation of the Common Statistical

Production Architecture• Big Data in Official Statistics

HLG

30+ Expert Groups

Projects

2012

What is GSIM?

A reference framework of information objects It sets out definitions, attributes and

relationships of information objects It aligns with relevant standards such as DDI

and SDMX

A step back: The GSBPM

GSIM and GSBPM

GSIM describes the information objects and flows within the statistical business process.

Clickable GSIM

2013

Standards-based Modernisaton

135 28%

43%34,600

Outcomes

Outcomes

GSBPM v5.0

Main Changes Phase 8 (Archive) removed

• Archiving can happen at any stage in the statistical production process

New sub-process• "Build or enhance dissemination components"

Clearer distinction between detection and treatment of errors

Sub-processes re-named to improve clarity Descriptions of sub-processes improved Terminology is less survey-centric

Mappings

Fundamental Principlesof Official Statistics

Frameworks and Standards Project

Problem statement:Specialised business processes, methods and IT systems for each survey / output

Applying Enterprise Architecture

Disseminate

... but if each statistical organisation works by themselves ...

... we get this ...

.. which makes it hard toshare and reuse!

… but if statistical organisations work together to define a common

statistical production architecture ...

... sharing is easier!

CSPA development project

Architecture Proof of Concept

The Proof of Concept

5 countries built CSPA services

3 countries implemented them

Project Outcomes

The CSPA approach works

It promises increased:• sharing• interoperability• collaboration opportunities

Some licensing issues!

United Kingdom

5 Build teams

42 individuals

2 Sprints

3 Assemble teams

1 Working Group

FAO

2014

Implementation of the CSPA

Services being built

1. Seasonal Adjustment – France,Australia, New Zealand

2. Confidentiality on the fly – Canada, Australia

3. Error correction – Italy

4. SVG Generator – OECD

5. SDMX transform – OECD

6. Selecting sample from business register – Netherlands

7. Editing components – Netherlands

8. Classification Editor – Norway

Architecture Working Group:Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Turkey, Eurostat

Catalogue team:Australia, Canada, Italy, Hungary, New Zealand, Romania, Turkey, Eurostat

Big Data

In the last 2 years more information was created than in the wholeof the rest ofhuman history!

Physical sprint

ConsultationVirtual sprint

Task teamsGuidelines

Current status

Key challenges identified:• Quality framework for Big Data• Privacy and data security• Partnerships with suppliers, processors and users• Methodology and IT for Big Data• Skills needed to use Big Data

Task teams established to tackle these issues Reports / guidelines by the end of 2014

Sandbox Irish Centre for High-end Computing /

CSO have created a Big Data ‘sandbox’ containing datasets and tools

“Play is the highest form of research” – Einstein

Sandbox: Aims

Test feasibility of remote access and processing: - Could this approach be used in practice?

Test whether existing statistical standards / models / methods can be applied to Big Data

Determine which Big Data software tools are most useful for statistical organisations

Learn about the potential uses, advantages and disadvantages of Big Data – “learning by doing”.

Build an international collaboration community on the use of Big Data

How to work together for minimumcost and maximum benefit?

The “Sprint” method

Virtual meetings

We use Webex – others are available Flexibility

Free for participants• Join meetings from office, home, airport etc.

Screen sharing Virtual whiteboard

Wikis

Central repository of information Latest versions and comments in one place Good for joint drafting of papers Access anywhere with a web connection Can be public or restricted

Governance

CES

Bureau

HLG

HLG Secretariat Team

Modernisation Committee

Standards

Modernisation Committee

Production and methods

Modernisation Committee

Products and sources

Modernisation Committee

Organisational framework

and evaluation

Executive Board

Project 1

Project 2

Project n

HLG Activities – Engagement Map

Get involved!Anyone is welcome to contribute!

More Information HLG Wiki: www1.unece.org/stat/platform/display/hlgbas

LinkedIn group:“Business architecture in statistics”