Dissemination Working Group Istat Dissemination and Information Strategy Valerio Tiberi Central management for the  dissemination of statistical literacy and information Luxembourg - 10/11 November 2005

Multi annual dissemination strategy: official documents A management approved document produced in 2003, which inspired the 3-year strategic plan The Annual Editorial Plan, the operational tool for governing the new dissemination policy The Press Release Editorial Plan, that completes the offer on the communication side

The Annual Editorial Plan: steps It is the result of three months activity, coordinated by the Permanent Editorial Committee (a task force representative of each production unit): Formal communication to the directors of the production units to state instructions, recommendations, deadlines Proposals are submitted in a database Sustainability of the proposal is evaluated and eventually a bilateral negotiation step brings in final adjustments The provisional plan is transmitted for approval to the top management (chief of department and president) to become operative A regular monitoring of the plan realization is carried out

Multi - annual strategy: the most important objectives Electronic first: publications are disseminated first on the Internet (free of charge) and afterwards on paper Making easier to find statistical information on line: all Istat databases and warehouses, as well as most recent releases, statistical tables and pdf publications are available for free on the Istat new web site Improving the integration of contents and meta-information: metadata should be directly linked to the relevant data Moving from a product oriented policy to a service oriented one, extending the range of the “value added services”, as tailor made data files and anonymous micro data sets Process innovations aim at producing integrated output databases, understood as comprehensive processes embracing editorial production, the preparation and maintenance of navigation and extraction tools and the operation of the service centre for the users

Istat new web site A completely revised version of the Istat web site has been officially presented to the press and the public as a whole The Istat web site 3 (third version) has a new graphic format (its colours reflect the so called “corporate identity”), an easier organisation of the statistical sectors and a new system of sound and sensible search facilities A new Content Management System has been set up

Istat new web site Logo Main tool bar Latest news and next releases Browsing by product Fast access Browsing by topic

Istat web site: future developments The integration process towards a portal architecture, in line with the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX) system Massive investments in metadata systems, such as SIDI, the surveys documentation system, which are expected to progressively deliver visible results on the web site by 2006 An English version of the site should be available in 2006

Data bases already available in English ConIstat, economic short terms indicators Coeweb, foreign trade statistics Demo, social indicators Handicap in figures ……moreover we provide an EN short version of all Istat press releases

Short term database: an example of extraction

Dissemination media beside the Internet: paper publications Istat is decreasing the number of printed publications, nevertheless they continue to have a role as an alternative and well defined channel. They should serve the following uses: documentation and reference one-off look-ups analysis statistical literacy

Dissemination media beside the Internet: digital off line supports CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs will also have an intermediate and complementary role: giving access to the information of the paper publication in a digital processing format (txt, tsv, csv, xls) and to a bigger bulk of statistical tables giving access to large and detailed quantities of data, e.g. Census databases or foreign trade statistics, even if they are already available on line a “snapshot” of the databases on line, with at least part of the functionality (navigation and extraction tools) developed for the web, could facilitate the job of the service centres

Specific user groups: facilities Press releases are delivered on a regular basis and addressed to media operators Specific tools are designed for students; many different actions aimed at schools and universities Special treatment (discounts on some tailor–made products) for the members of National Statistical System (statistical offices of public bodies)

Respondents A specific section of the site is addressed to respondents: general information as well as detailed information for specific surveys are available in order to support, easing the burden

Respondents: The web site page for businesses and institutions