1. Structural and reference metadata in the European Statistical System
August Götzfried,
Marco Pellegrino,
METIS work session on statistical metadata
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

2. Working Paper 10: Metadata in the E.S.S.
Overview
Functions of statistical metadata across the statistical business cycle
SDMX content-oriented guidelines (COG): a step forward towards international harmonisation
The implementation of the SDMX COG within the European Statistical System
Metadata systems for structural and reference metadata
Conclusions
SDMX Tools can help defining data structures and metadata structures, but they do not replace the statistical conceptual work.
Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS)
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

3. Functions of statistical metadata across the statistical business cycle
Metadata = information about data that make figures understandable to users and inform users where and how data is located and can be retrieved
A metadata system provides the following functions:
Search and navigation
interpretation and
post-processing
Several metadata standards or guidelines were developed in recent years which were not always fully compatible with each other.
SDMX Tools can help defining data structures and metadata structures, but they do not replace the statistical conceptual work.
Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS)
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

4. More international harmonization on metadata initiated by
The SDMX Content-oriented Guidelines: a step forward towards international harmonization
More international harmonization on metadata initiated by
European Statistics Code of Practice, principle 15 on accessibility and clarity: “Metadata are to be documented according to a standardized metadata system”
SDMX Content-oriented Guidelines (COG) released in 02/2008, in particular with regard to Cross-domain Concepts, Cross-domain code lists and Metadata Common Vocabulary.
SDMX COG allow – inter alia - the creation of “Metadata Structure Definitions” for reference metadata.
SDMX Tools can help defining data structures and metadata structures, but they do not replace the statistical conceptual work.
Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS)
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

5. The implementation of the SDMX COG within the ESS has started with:
The implementation of the SDMX COG within the European Statistical System
The implementation of the SDMX COG within the ESS has started with:
the creation and the successive implementation of the Euro SDMX metadata structure (ESMS): 21 SDMX cross-domain concepts are part of the ESMS and successively implemented within the European Statistical System (attention: a better measurement of the domain specific data quality will be possible)
the checking and mapping of a limited number of SDMX Cross domain-code lists (released as pivot code lists) against the code lists and descriptions used at Eurostat; further work steps are needed for completing these lists or for the adding of more code lists to the “SDMX acquis”
SDMX Tools can help defining data structures and metadata structures, but they do not replace the statistical conceptual work.
Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS)
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

6. The Euro-SDMX Metadata Structure (ESMS)
Generic SDMX-compliant Concept Scheme: ESMS
SDMX provides a lists of 62 statistical concepts which are used across statistical domains (ANNEX 1: Cross-Domain Concepts)
The new reference metadata structure of Eurostat (Euro-SDMX Metadata Structure, ESMS) uses 21 of those concepts, with a limited breakdown of sub-concepts
Templates to be derived from the structure
Transmission tests of reference metadata for SODI
Logical mapping between metadata formats
Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS)
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

7. The implementation of the SDMX COG within the European Statistical System
Eurostat started to harmonize the codes to be used within the European Statistical System (first harmonized code list published in 03/2008).
Full integration of the Metadata Common Vocabulary (MCV) into the Eurostat database for concepts and definitions; this promotes the MCV as standard vocabulary for structural and reference metadata within the European Statistical System.
SDMX Tools can help defining data structures and metadata structures, but they do not replace the statistical conceptual work.
Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS)
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

8. Eurostat Metadata System
Structural metadata: Data structure definitions, database dictionaries and around 500 code lists which will be successively harmonized
Reference metadata in SDDS format which will be replaced by the ESMS format in the near future (also recommended for national reference metadata within the European Statistical System).
Classifications, concepts and definitions, and domain-specific quality reports: in general, these additional metadata need to be better integrated with existing structural and reference metadata and with data.
SDMX Tools can help defining data structures and metadata structures, but they do not replace the statistical conceptual work.
Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS)
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

9. National Metadata Systems
Main focus on the national metadata systems existing within the European Statistical System
First analysis of those national systems done by Eurostat with some first findings (such as more standardization needed, more freshness needed, metadata should be linked better to data)
A more in depth assessment of the national metadata systems will be done in using a number of standard assessment criteria such as accessibility, types of metadata available, links between data and metadata, etc.
Regular monitoring reports should get available in the years to come.
SDMX Tools can help defining data structures and metadata structures, but they do not replace the statistical conceptual work.
Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS)
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

10. Conclusions
Some big steps forward made in the international standardization and harmonization of all types of metadata in the recent years
However
More work needs to be done towards high-quality metadata systems at Eurostat and within the European Statistical System
SDMX Tools can help defining data structures and metadata structures, but they do not replace the statistical conceptual work.
Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS)
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

11. Thanks for your attention August.Goetzfried Marco.Pellegrino@
ec.europa.eu
Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS)
Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008