Description of the Proposed GSIM Levels 1 and 2
Level 1
There are three Level 1 objects in this GSIM model: Work, Knowledge and Process.
Work objects contain the value
statistical offices’ activities provide
to their community – data
measuring the state and progress of
society, the economy and the
environment. Work in this context
takes its meaning from the
definition “materials, things, etc.,
on which one is working or is to
work”.
Knowledge objects contain the
retrievable intellectual stock of an
office’s current and prior staff.
GSIM “Level 1” Ideas v0.13
Knowledge
Informs
Work
Is used by
Process
Creates
Creates
Knowledge
Process objects contain the
procedures that define the workflow and steps that run an office’s statistical activities.
The core of the model is that Processes use existing Knowledge and Work to create new
Work and Knowledge.
Work
2
Level 2
Workflow
Information
Request
Satisfied by
Has 1..*
Intellectual
Capital
Informs
0..*
Process Step
[New]
Unit
Creates
1..*
Has 1..*
Acquires data on
Product
Population
Collects from/about
Interface
[New]
Instrument
Is consumed
by 0..*
Contains 1..*
Populates
Real World
GSIM “Level 2” Ideas v0.13
Collects data about 1..*
Presentation
[was Representation]
Process Measure
[New]
Presents
view
of 1..*
Data Set
Has 1..*
Variable
Structure
Creates 1..*
Creates
0..*
May also be
Referential Metadata
[New]
Refers
to 1..*
Value Map
Maps
Value
[New]
Maps
[New]
Relevance
Identification
Contains 1..*
Value Set
[was Value Domain]
Meaning
Has
Domain
Data
Program
Standard
Level 2 describes high-level Work, Knowledge and Process objects that represent a complete
and coherent model of the statistical operations of an official statistics office. Many of the
Level 2 objects can be broken down into a more detailed set of objects in order to gain a
thorough understanding of offices’ statistical work.
3
Satisfied by
Has 1..*
Acquires data on
Product
[was Representation]
Population
Collects from/about
Instrument
Contains 1..*
Presentation
Populates
Presents
view
of 1..*
Data Set
Collects data about 1..*
Has 1..*
Variable
Has
Value Map
Maps
Value
[New]
Maps
[New]
Relevance
Identification
Contains 1..*
Value Set
Domain
Data
A data set structures data using variables, which structure the domains of data collected
about a population, thereby determining what data the instrument collects and populates the
data set with.
A variable gains its meaning from a value set, which contains values that may be used to
identify data collected for a variable and populated into a data set. The relevance of a value
to a real world information request may be enhanced by substituting an equivalent but more
meaningful value using a value map.
1
Object names are in italics, the active layer in bold, and work object characteristic groups are underlined.
Meaning
A data set identifies data acquired
from or about real world units by
way of an instrument (the
interface between data providers
and the statistical office). Each
unit is part of a population, which
is the real world domain about
which data is needed to satisfy
one or more information request.
Unit
Interface
Information
Request
Structure
A user makes an information
request seeking data relevant to
their real world need. One or more
product, the relevant interface
between the user and the statistical
office, satisfies this information
request. Each product contains
one or more presentation, which
presents a relevant view
(structure) of a data set.
Real World
Work Objects1
4
Process Objects
Workflow
Every statistical operation in the work of a statistical office is defined by a
process step.
A workflow is a collection of process steps, operated according to a rulebased, parameter-driven order, which may have serial, parallel,
synchronous, and asynchronous characteristics.
[New]
Has 1..*
Process Step
Every process step generates one or more process measure, which record
metrics associated with the process step and log work and knowledge
objects used in the process step and work and knowledge objects created
by the process step.
Knowledge Objects
Intellectual
Capital
[New]
Referential Metadata
[New]
Creates 1..*
Process Measure
[New]
Any business and statistical knowledge that is not
structured in a work object, but may be of use when running a process
step, is captured as intellectual capital. This intellectual capital exists
in the minds of the office’s staff, based on their wide variety of life
experiences, including studying and working on statistical and subject
matters.
Application of intellectual capital to a process step may lead to the
creation of referential metadata, which is explanatory or other
information that refers to one or more work object. Some process
measures and work objects may also have a role as referential
metadata.
5
Layers
In addition to individual objects, Level 2 models three mirrored layers, which provide each
object with one of three possible states: Data, Program or Standard. For many purposes,
consideration of the model at the Data layer is sufficient.
The characteristics of objects
created and consumed at each layer
are different.
Objects created by a process differ
depending on the layer.
GSIM “Level 2” Work Objects Created at each Layer v0.13
Standard
Generic populated
instance
Specific populated
instance
Specific unpopulated
instance
Specific populated
instance
Specific populated
instance
Specific populated
instance
Specific unpopulated
instance
Work objects in the Program layer
are created by a Program Process.
The objects are either generic
populated instances created by a
Program Process to be consumed
in Work Processes or specific
unpopulated instances to be
replicated and populated in Work
Work objects in the Data layer are
specific, populated instances
created by Work Processes.
Generic populated
instance
Data
Generic unpopulated
instance
Work objects created in the
Standard layer are created by a
Standard layer process. The
objects are either generic
populated instances to be
consumed in Program and Work
Processes or generic unpopulated
instances to be replicated and
populated in Program Processes.
Processes.
Program
Specific populated
instance
Specific populated
instance
Specific unpopulated
instance
Specific populated
instance
GSIM “Level 2” Work Objects Consumed at each Layer v0.13
Standard
Program
Data
Specific populated
instance
Specific populated
instance
Specific populated
instance
Generic populated
instance
Generic populated
instance
Generic populated
instance
Generic unpopulated
instance
Specific unpopulated
instance
6
Process objects differ at each level in terms of the types of work objects they consume and
create, although specific populated instances of objects can be consumed by any process.
Data layer processes consume specific unpopulated and generic populated instances of work
objects, and create specific populated instances of work objects.
Program layer processes consume generic unpopulated and generic populated instances of
work objects, and create specific unpopulated and generic populated instances of work
objects.
Standard layer processes consume intellectual capital objects from outside the office’s stock
of work objects (e.g. work objects from other agencies), and create generic unpopulated and
generic populated instances of work objects.
Referential metadata objects may refer to any work object at any level.
Intellectual capital does not have
objects at different layers, but
intellectual capital is modeled as three
layers, as it can be applied to a process
step at any layer.
Examples of Layers
Generic unpopulated instance of
product object at Standard level:
Statistics New Zealand’s “Information
Release” template.
Example
GSIM “Level 2” Work Objects Created at each Layer v0.13
Standard
Program
Information Release
template
Generic unpopulated
instance of Product
Information Release
template for Quarterly
Gross Domestic
Product
Specific unpopulated
instance of Product
Gross Domestic
Product – December
2012 Quarter –
Information Release
Specific populated
instance of Product
Gross Domestic
Product – September
2012 Quarter –
Information Release
Specific unpopulated instance of
product object at Program level:
“Information Release” template for
Quarterly Gross Domestic Product.
Specific populated instance of product
object at Data level: Gross Domestic
Product – December 2012 Quarter –
Information Release.
Data
Specific populated
instance of Product
Information Release
template for
International Travel
and Migration
Specific unpopulated
instance of Product
International Travel
and Migration – April
2013 – Information
Release
Specific populated
instance of Product
International Travel
and Migration – March
2013 – Information
Release
Specific populated
instance of Product
7
Generic populated object created at Standard level:
New Zealand Standard Institutional Sector Classification 1996.