1. SDMX at United Nations Statistics Division Experience, Challenges, Strategies

2. Background  United Nations Statistics Division is an SDMX Sponsor agency  Has used SDMX in its business processes since 2005 (UN Comtrade)  Participates in the development of global Data Structure Definitions (DSDs)  Uses SDMX in dissemination 2

3. Development of Global Data Structures  Under the auspices of Interagency Expert Group on Millennium Indicators, led the development of DSD for MDG indicators  Participates in the development of DSD for National Accounts  Leads the development of DSD for International Merchandise Trade Statistics  Development of DSD for Demography is in the initial stages 3

4. SDMX Exchange  Exchange of IMTS data between UNSD and OECD  Pilot project underway to exchange National Accounts data with IMF, Eurostat, OECD; full-scale exchange to be established after the pilot  As part of the UNSD-DfID CountryData project, exchange of development indicator data was established with 11 countries  Several non-project countries have also joined the exchange  The system has been in production since 2011 and receives new data on a regular basis  SDMX-related modules (mapping, registry) were developed for the DevInfo software 4

5. SDMX Dissemination  Commodity Trade web site has disseminated international merchandise trade data since 2005  CountryData disseminates development indicator data supplied by approximately 100 countries  Implementation of SDMX is underway at UNdata, UNSD’s flagship dissemination platform  6 UNdata datasets are currently available, including World Population Prospects and Millennium Development Goals  Eurostat’s SDMX Reference Infrastructure is used as the engine 5

6. SDMX Issues: Technology  Extensibility  Countries very often wish to extend a standard DSD to customize it for their own needs, while some classifications explicitly provide for user-defined codes.  Metadata  In terms of tools available, limited support for metadata exchange in versions prior to SDMX 2.1  Metadata is often stored and maintained outside of a database, which complicates the automation of metadata exchange. 6

7. SDMX Issues: National Statistical Office  Lack of IT expertise  Many of the developing countries are unfamiliar with SDMX or underlying technologies, as well as with the principles of data modeling.  Lack of established aggregated data processing and dissemination  Many countries do not use databases to store aggregated data, which complicates both reporting and dissemination.  Standards  Not all countries adhere to the latest versions of international classifications.  Lack of coordination between IT and Statisticians  SDMX is often treated as a technology project, and statisticians are not involved to the extent required – or at all. 7

8. SDMX Exchange Issues: International Agency  Complexity of data structures  Global Data Structure Definitions can be very comprehensive but also difficult to have the countries adopt and use them.  Mapping errors  Can lead to issues such as incorrectly coded or duplicate series, etc. This is a problem even for moderately complex DSDs.  Uncertainty  Scepticism about SDMX applicability at the global level given its perceived complexity 8

9. SDMX Exchange Solutions: Technology  Further refinement of the standard  Improve support for modern and emerging technological standards.  Better documentation  Better support for metadata  New tools oriented at beginners  Implementing SDMX support for existing tools 9

10. SDMX Exchange Solutions: National Statistical Office  Capacity building with assistance from international agencies  Improving data processing and dissemination  Formulating and implementing aggregated data dissemination strategy  Using standard tools and platforms  As a way to lower the barrier to entry 10

11. SDMX Exchange Solutions: International Agency  Address the complexity of comprehensive data structures  IMTS Working Group (UNSD, Eurostat, OECD, UNCTAD and ITC) broke data exchange into manageable data-flows, which results in less complexity than a single overarching DSD would create.  Support capacity building at national level  Support further development of the standard  Support further development of tools 11

12. SDMX Exchange: Recent Developments  Many capacity building projects underway (Eurostat, IMF, UNSD, ADB, …)  New tools greatly simplify dissemination and help lower the costs of implementation  SDMX Reference Infrastructure, Fusion Registry, DevInfo  Eurostat’s SDMX InfoSpace is an excellent resource to help master the technology  Global DSDs gradually become available  Greater awareness of SDMX and willingness to participate in exchange on the part of both countries and international agencies  Rapidly growing dissemination  Global SDMX Registry 12

13. SDMX Exchange: The Future  It is expected that SDMX Exchange will be established for Post-2015 development indicators, both with international agencies and countries  Building on MDG and CountryData experience  Opportunities for capacity building and increasing SDMX adoption rates at country level  Brings to the fore sub-national geography issues  Gradual implementation of exchange with Member States  Reducing reporting burden  Eurotrace software (used by 80 developing countries) planned to be adapted for SDMX Exchange in International Merchandise Trade Statistics 13

14. SDMX Exchange: The Future (2)  Expanding dissemination  Not only popularizes SDMX but enables and encourages use of advanced technologies such as API/Web services  Expanding exchange using the DevInfo software, available for over 100 countries  SDMX tools developed for the UNSD-DfID project are now part of the standard DevInfo package  Explore the possibilities for the use of SDMX in the context of Data Revolution 14

15.  Thank you! 15