Dissemination and communication as an integral part of European statistics Seminar on emerging trends in data communication and statistics, New York Walter Radermacher / Pieter Everaers, Eurostat

Walter Radermacher 2 Robert M. Pirsig: Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance

Walter Radermacher The art of maintaining quality in statistics Actuality Comparability Response burden Accuracy Efficiency Relevance

Walter Radermacher 4 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 5 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 6 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 7 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 8 Statistic users and producers: Interactions Users of statistics Producers of statistics information need use knowledge statistical information statistical data + metadata work system conducting of processes, provision of products and services discussion / definition perception patterns programmes products communication

Walter Radermacher 9 Information needs: Statistics Public Opinion Science Politics Institutional setup How are they defined?

Walter Radermacher 10 Reengineering of statistical production 1:1 Stovepipes Multiple Source / Multiple Purpose SurveyTable SurveyTable SurveyTable SurveyTable Survey Register Survey Data Ware- houses Macrodata Access Microdata Mesodata

Walter Radermacher 11 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 12 We see..... News releases Dedicated sections Statistics in Focus Data in Focus RAMON CODED Yearbooks Pocketbooks Leaflets Data publications Methodological publications ESMS metadata Statistics Explained 1: user orientation

Walter Radermacher 13 The user wants.... Data MetadataExplanationsAnalysisExplanations

Walter Radermacher 14 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 15 Example: Statistics Explained

Walter Radermacher 16 2: statistics as spatial information Our world The physical world

Walter Radermacher 17 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 18 Example

Walter Radermacher 19 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 20 “Cooked”“Raw”

Walter Radermacher 21 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 22 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 23 Example of shareable SDMX-based visualisation tool – the ECB inflation dashboard

Walter Radermacher User orientation Spatial data Reuseability 3 assertions – 1 common thread Dissemination = opening up the value inherent in our data

Thank you for your attention!