Dissemination and communication as an
integral part of European statistics
Seminar on emerging trends in data communication
and statistics, New York 19.02.2010
Walter Radermacher / Pieter Everaers
,
Eurostat
Robert M. Pirsig:
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
Walter Radermacher
2
The art of maintaining quality in statistics
Response burden
Actuality
Accuracy
Walter Radermacher
Comparability
Efficiency
Relevance
 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
Walter Radermacher
4
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)
Walter Radermacher
5
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
Walter Radermacher
6
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”
Walter Radermacher
7
Statistic users and producers: Interactions
Users of statistics
information need
Producers of statistics
discussion / definition
• perception patterns
• programmes
• products
conducting of
processes,
provision of
products and
services
use
knowledge
statistical
information
communication
Walter Radermacher
work
system
statistical
data + metadata
8
Information needs: How are they defined?
Politics
Public
Opinion
Statistics
Science
Institutional setup
Walter Radermacher
9
Reengineering of statistical production
1:1 Stovepipes
Survey
Multiple Source / Multiple
Purpose
Macrodata
Table
Survey
Survey
Table
Register
Survey
Survey
Table
Register
Survey
Walter Radermacher
Table
Survey
Data
Warehouses
Access
Microdata
Mesodata
10
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
Walter Radermacher
11
1: user orientation
We see.....
Dedicated sections
News releases
Statistics in Focus
Leaflets
RAMON
Data in Focus
Yearbooks
Data publications
ESMS metadata
CODED
Pocketbooks
Methodological publications
Statistics Explained
Walter Radermacher
12
The user wants....
Data
Metadata Explanations
Analysis Explanations
Walter Radermacher
13
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
Walter Radermacher
14
Example: Statistics Explained
Walter Radermacher
15
2: statistics as spatial information
Our world
The
physical
world
Walter Radermacher
16
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
Walter Radermacher
17
Example
Walter Radermacher
18
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….
Walter Radermacher
19
“Cooked”
Walter Radermacher
“Raw”
20
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
Walter Radermacher
21
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
Walter Radermacher
22
Example of shareable SDMX-based visualisation
tool – the ECB inflation dashboard
Walter Radermacher
23
3 assertions – 1 common thread
User orientation
Spatial data
Reuseability
Dissemination = opening up the
value inherent in our data
Walter Radermacher
Thank you for your attention!
walter.radermacher@ec.europa.eu
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat