Statistical
Communication
To present the vision, guiding principles and strategies
through which Customer Services Branch (CSB) and its
business partners will transform ABS from a statistical
dissemination model to a more flexible and efficient
statistical communication model.
Merry Branson – AS Customer Services Branch
Introduction
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Reflecting on the achievements of our
recent past:
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the Internet era has delivered
extraordinary gains in the ABS ability to
disseminate vast amounts of data and
information electronically
our core value of providing extensive
access to relevant statistics to inform the
decisions that our society faces.
we provides one of the most heavily used
microdata services when
compared to other NSOs
External Drivers
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Internet communication has
taken some new directions
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user community has new tools to use and
share ABS data and information in ways that
are less expensive, more powerful and
easier to learn
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Google Maps, mobile devices, social media
platforms, ‘mash-ups’ and web services.
our presence on the web is no longer
defined by our primary website but by our
visibility and agility across multiple platforms
External Drivers - cont
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open, speedy, inexpensive access to
information is increasing seen as an
inherit right of democracy
accessible information for everybody,
whilst complying with Australian
Government requirements
evidence based decision making
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objective data at lower levels of
detail to analyse and solve the
“wicked” problems of our time
Building Capability
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improving the statistical capability of our
current and future data users
informed decision making presupposes a
level of statistical ability which we know is
wanting within the Australian community
vital in helping us achieve the aspirational
goal of a citizenry that uses statistics to
make sensible, informed
decisions
Trends in Use of ABS Info
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primary access to ABS data is through
the website, with the majority of calls to
the NIRS now being about navigation on
the website
a 3rd of accesses are mediated via search
engines such as Google, Yahoo
most frequently accessed
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text pages (HTML) followed by
spread sheets, data cubes
then PDF files (in that order)
Trends in Use of ABS Info
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expectation to provide data and tools to
allow users to generate their own tables,
charts and maps online
microdata users want point and click tools
(no need to write code) supporting a broad
range of statistical analysis methods
data ready to be analysed and presented
in Geospatial applications and web based
geospatial tools
available in formats that allow it to
be combined and reformatted and
feed mash-ups
Our clients
• from direct engagements, customer research,
web analytics and various other feedback
mechanisms (e.g. SMA/STSS engagement,
NIRS
• diverse needs and capabilities
• expectations have evolved away
from accepting a disparate
collection of static content
• expect a collaborative environment and the
ability to add or change content themselves,
using various techniques to bring together
information ideas and data from different
sources in order to produce integrated,
meaningful content
Internal Clients
• deserve tools that make the
process of preparing, approving and releasing
content an efficient and effective process
• numerous reviews of the end-to-end
dissemination processes have found the
current dissemination tools are complex and
inefficient, especially for irregular and ad hoc
authors
• disjointed, costly to learn, use and maintain
• the tools, and processes are insufficient to
meet the expected demands.
• these limitations in our current publishing
systems restrict the ability for us to author
modern engaging outputs that enhance
statistical capability
Challenges
• successful online communication is based on
understanding how people use the web and
then structuring the content and presentation
of the material accordingly
• improve discovery, navigation and
accessibility through new and innovative
approaches to the content, structure and
search aspects of the ABS website
• provide more engaging content (e.g.
statistical stories, interactive tools, data
visualisations) that caters for
users with varying levels of
statistical literacy
Challenges - cont
• better engage external service providers in
the data dissemination process
• assist and support ABS authors to enhance
their writing skills for the web
• a “point and click” approach to microdata
access
• partner with IMT to ensure that relevant
improvements made in other parts of the
statistical process flow on to provide benefits
to our users
Simple Vision
• The ABS aims to
communicate information:
• in a clear and understandable way
• in a suitable and convenient manner
• effectively supporting users of levels of
varied statistical, subject matter and
technical skills
• …making it:
• available and accessible on an impartial
basis, and
• with supporting metadata and guidance.
Principles
• principles-based rather than rules-based release
approach - the following principles will guide us:
• focus on user needs through the provision of quality,
relevant and timely statistics in ways that users can easily
find and understand;
• adopt a content release strategy not
simply a product release strategy;
• all content is developed using evidence
-based website metrics and business
partner and external client consultation;
• create-once and use-often i.e. create ‘one source of truth’,
snapshot the data and use it many times through the use of
a common output data store;
• facilitate re-use of ABS data by external clients and third
party portals while ensuring visibility of the ABS brand;
• update rather than add to ABS website content (while
ensuring continuity of access); and
• content designed to build statistical capability needs to be
visible alongside data, but not intrusive.
The Plan
• Phase 1 – Fine Tuning the
Website and Publishing
Process
• starting now
• Phase 2 – Ramp-up; Upgrading Elements
of Website Infrastructure
• Capital bid in for 2012/13 (fingers crossed!)
• Phase 3 – New Applications to Support
Content Releases
• Part of IMT would start in 2013/14
Phase 1
• optimising the website search
• optimise to enhance access for external
search engines and maximise search success rates
• assisting author areas to move away from complex
publications in PDF format towards the same content
being delivered through HTML
• CSB acknowledges that ABS will still need to release major
publications in PDF format, especially MEIs and that PPW
will continue to be our primary authoring tool for some time
• expanding the ability to surface data in a way that
allows direct feed into user applications using
technologies such as SDMX and RSS
• better coordination and usage of client engagement
and market intelligence;
• maximising the effective use of the current product
suite
Phase 1 - cont
• we will work with business partners to assist
them to:
• adopt a layering approach to present the
information from simple concepts to more complex
information;
• make information less dense, more
visible and cross linked on the website;
• use contextual linking, especially for
communicating metadata;
• use keywords and keyword phrases derived from
what users type into search engines, and
• encourage effective web writing techniques that
address the behaviours of the web audience;
• optimise the use of Web 2.0 and data
communication to tell stories and disseminate data
Phase 2
• in order to make further progress towards our new
vision of statistical communication we will need to
make some targeted capital investments
• separate the presentation layer from the stored
content in Notes within the ABS website
application only
• transition the website to a contemporary design
• position us to take advantage of future IMT
capability (e.g. MRR integration)
Phase 2 - cont
• improve support for dynamic web 2.0
content created by author areas
• ensure compliance with mandatory
Government accessibility requirements
(WCAG 2.0)
• update our website and publishing
infrastructure in readiness for a new content
management system
• build capability and capacity in SMAs, CSB
and TSD in readiness for IMT
and Phase 3
Phase 3
• IMT will impact on all aspects of the way the ABS
do business, including how we interact and
engage with our clients and customers
• transform from a 'product' to a 'service'
organisation and as such statistical
communication strategies will need to align
• a major capital investment in our website
infrastructure
• an effective and efficient Web Content
Management System (WCMS) is critical to the
"industrialisation” and modernisation of the
communication of ABS statistics
Phase 3 - cont
• the shift to a new WCMS will clear the way
for PPW to be decommissioned as part of
the IMTP implementation process
• once dependencies on other business
processes have been addressed
• also decommission release approvals
system and web content approvals with a
streamlined content release approach
Questions