Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías STATISTICAL METADATA MODEL DEVELOPED IN SPAIN:CURRENT AND FUTURE USE AND APLLICATIONS Topic (ii): Metadata Concepts, Standards, Models and Registries GENEVA, 3-5 April 2006 Mar Blanco Frías

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 2 Objectives 1.To explain the metadata model current status Give a general view of the model: functional, management and user points of view 2. To explain the metadata role inside INE Information about current applications of the metadata project and the way forward OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENTATION

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 3 Metadata model description and status1 INDEX Role of the metadata inside INE 2 Functional point of view Management point of view User point of view

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 4 Metadata model description and status1 INDEX Role of the metadata inside INE 2 Functional point of view Management point of view User point of view

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 5 FUNCTIONAL POINT OF VIEW- FIRST PHASE 1.1 Fuctionally speaking the metadata project has been divided in two phases:  The first one concerning Statistical Operations  The second one concerning Regulations The basic concepts used in the first phase are: 1.Statistical Operation: set of activities leading to obtain statistical results about a specific sector or issue from individually collected data 2.Variable: information about the unit being studied. In most cases, this variables use to correspond to a unique question in the questionnaire 3.Classification: set of classes or categories which fix the values that a variable can get. When talking about an international Regulation we talk about standard classifications

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 6 FUNCTIONAL POINT OF VIEW- FIRST PHASE 1.1 The objective of the first phase is to have a repository including all surveys, in a relational Database supported by Oracle. Currently the Database contains the following information: System elementNumber Statistical Operations102 Survey Questionnaires253 Variables8.187 Non-standardised classifications1.434 The information is classified in two ways: Horizontal Organization Vertical Organization Statistical Operations Questionnaires Variables Thematic Classification variables Thematic Classification classifications Classifications Standar d No Standard

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 7 FUNCTIONAL POINT OF VIEW- FIRST PHASE 1.1 Variables and classifications are classified using 3 levels of detail. The following number of themes are available at each level for variables and classifications: Thematic classification of Variables Thematic Classification of Classifications # First level2817 # Second level # Third level FINAL OBJECTIVE To achieve a high degree of both internal and international harmonization that allows better comparisons  In the case of variables, the thematic classification allows to compare how the different Units request similar information  In the case of classifications, the thematic classification allows to harmonize by eliminating superflous classifications

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 8 FUNCTIONAL POINT OF VIEW- SECOND PHASE 1.1 The second phase of the project is devoted to international Regulations and standardised concepts.The objective in this case is to bear a special attention to those variables included in a Regulation, among all variables.  Using Regulations and CODED as a source of the concepts To fulfill this objective a second relational Database has been constructed: VARIABLES IN STATISTICAL OPERATION VARIABLES IN REGULATION CONCEPTS FOR THIS VARIABLES TRANSITION MATRIX PHASE 1 PHASE 2 This database allows to ensure that all variables requested in the Regulation are indeed included in the Statistical Operation  Also to identify the variables included in the Statistical Operations and not requested in the corresponding Regulation and understand why CLASSIFICATIONS

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 9 Metadata model description and status1 INDEX Role of the metadata inside INE 2 Functional point of view Management point of view User point of view

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 10 MANAGEMENT POINT OF VIEW 1.2 The maintenance of the System is carried out by means of a Metadata Management System  This prevents the operator from making mistakes when working directly in the tables  It allows to introduce and modify information in the Database in a easy and friendly way Some Windows of the Management System:

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 11 Metadata model description and status1 INDEX Role of the metadata inside INE 2 Functional point of view User point of view Management point of view

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 12 USER POINT OF VIEW 1.3 From a user point of view, it is not usefull to have greats amounts of information stored in tables if you are not able to exploit it as much as possible  The search Engine allows the user to efficiently find different types of information using different search criteria  Available in the Intranet Different possibilities: 1.Thematic Searches: The user gets all the variables (or classifications) clasified in the selected theme  Allows to compare how the different Statistical Operations request information about the same theme  Allows to see relationships variable  clasifications (1:n) and classifications  variable(1:n) 2. Comparison of Statistical Operations: By means of a metodology to analyse similarity between variables and classifications in two Statistical Operations 3. Searches in regulations: It allows to generate a report connecting variables in a Statistical Opration with those in the corresponding Regulation 4. Global search: By litheral, theme, global character chain…

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 13 USER POINT OF VIEW 1.3 Some Search Engine windows (I): Global search Concept definition Standard Classifications search Thematic search for Variables

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 14 USER POINT OF VIEW 1.3 Some Search Engine windows (II): Search by Statistical Operation Possibilities: See the questionnaire as it is stored in the DB See variables in the SO which are requested in the Regulation See the associated Regulation Search by Regulation Possibilities: See the Regulation as it is stored in DB See the variables in the Regulation with its attributes (internal codes, periodicity…) See Variables in the Regulation which are requested in some SO

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 15 Metadata model description and status1 INDEX Role of the metadata inside INE 2 Functional point of view User point of view Management point of view1.2

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 16 ROLE OF METADATA INSIDE INE 2 Metadata has an important role in quality issues inside INE  It is used as a quality indicator in surveys Currently the metadata project is used in the Eurostat Task Force on Core Social Variables  All information about social surveys is included in the metadata database => Metadata is a powerfull tool to compare how this surveys request the information and harmonize both internally and at European level Metadata is a first step towards a complete documentation database Usefull to help to define taxonomies in XBRL metainformation exchange project FUTURE WORK: 1.Include not only Statistical operations under INE responsability but also those carried out by other Ministries and Government bodies 2.Link metadata to data  it will help to reduce the load to informers in Economic Surveys.

Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) APRIL 2006Mar Blanco Frías 17 AND THAT’S ALL…. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!