Version 1.1 Tau-Argus and SuperCROSS A practical example using the UK Business Register Unit data Andrea Staggemeier Philip Lowthian Grant Lee

Slide 2 Agenda Business Problem Tau Argus / SuperCROSS Detail of Solution Tau-Argus in Batch Mode SuperCROSS and Tau-Argus Integration Controlled Rounding Example Business Benefits Issues Conclusion Further Information

Slide 3 Business Problem Manual process Time consuming High risk of human error Therefore higher risk of disclosure Risk reduced by exhaustive manual checks

Slide 4 Tau-Argus Software tool enabling Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) Interactive or Batch mode Safety rules (threshold and dominance) Controlled Rounding Suppression History of Tau-Argus Currently used by BRU within ONS, and other data suppliers to Neighbourhood Statistics

Slide 5 SuperCROSS Part of SuperSTAR suite from Space-Time Research 1 (Melbourne, Australia) Desktop tabulation tool Easy-to-use drag and drop interface Used by BRU, Labour Force Survey, and Census within ONS Used by many other statistical offices around the world. 1

Slide 6 Solution

Slide 7 Tau-Argus in Batch Mode GUI or batch interface Batch file contains parameters and pointers to data/metadata files

Slide 8 Integration with SuperCROSS Users have familiar tabulation environment Select desired rule from drop-down list (rules set up by in-house experts) Rule applied to table, and results presented to user in SuperCROSS

Slide 9 Controlled Rounding Example

Slide 10 Business Benefits Tau-Argus is powerful disclosure control tool Users do not need to understand SDC or how rules are implemented SDC process is automated, significantly reduces manual effort Reduces risk of human error and possible disclosure Easily adapted to other business areas

Slide 11 Some Issues Table Design –SuperCROSS allows complete flexibility –Doesn’t always make sense for Tau-Argus –Missing totals are a key concern Table size –Solving time Administration Requirements

Slide 12 Conclusion Increase in efficiency Decrease in risk of disclosure Minimal training for users Be wary of table design limitations

Slide 13 Further Information For further information, please contact: or or

Slide 14 Questions ?