Modernising Official Statistics Although my name is on this sheet, I am very indebted to Steven Vale of UNECE who provided the input. Lieneke Hoeksma

Introducing the HLG High-level Group for the Modernisation of Official Statistics Created by the Conference of European Statisticians in 2010 11 Chief Statisticians Vision and strategy endorsed by CES in 2011 / 2012 We have to realise that we are shifting more and more from traditional statistical arts and skills to process-based aspects of statistical production

The challenges External Challenges rapidly changing external environment More sophisticated users Demand for timeliness and responsiveness increasing demand for more accessible and ‘joined up’ data to solve complex policy questions Constraints Reduced funding and volatility in funding Our costs are increasing significantly – unable to contact many households, response rates dropping, difficult to recruit and retain interviewers skills shortages – competing for statistical and ICT skills across government complex work programs siloed processes and aging infrastructure

These challenges are too big for statistical organisations to tackle on their own We need to work together

Projects HLG Expert groups Each year, in November, the HLG holds a workshop, together with representatives of different expert groups, to review progress and decide the key priorities for international collaboration projects for the coming year Expert groups

GSBPM CSPA The story so far The Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) was released in 2009 and revised in 2013. The Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM) was released in 2012 and revised in 2013 Between them, they provide the basis for the Common Statistical Production Architecture, also released in 2013. CSPA

What is the GSBPM? A flexible model that describes and defines the set of business processes needed to produce official statistics Standard framework and harmonised terminology to help statistical organisations Modernise statistical production processes Share methods and components

What is the GSIM? A reference framework of information objects: Definitions Attributes Relationships It gives us standard terminology GSIM aligns with relevant standards such as DDI and SDMX

GSIM and GSBPM GSIM describes the information objects and flows within the statistical business process.

What is the CSPA? A template architecture for official statistics A set of standard specifications for new statistical components (services) that can be used in a modular way A new way of developing statistical tools, with sharability as a design feature, not an afterthought CSPA is a platform: we can compare this with say, Windows: if your computer has Windows, you can use elements like Word, Outlook, Excel. If your organisation is CSPA compliant, you can use the tools.

Services built Seasonal adjustment – France, Australia, New Zealand Confidentiality on the fly – Canada, Australia SVG generator – OECD SDMX transform – OECD Sample selection – Netherlands Linear error localisation – Netherlands Linear rule checking – Netherlands Error correction – Italy By the end of last year we had have several CSPA-compliant services (or components) ready for use. Some as a result of collaboration between organisations, others developed by individual organisations, but the important point is that they will share common specifications. More are being developed this year.

the Future of Statistical Production CSPA the Future of Statistical Production

If statistical organisations create components based on a common statistical production architecture ...

... sharing is easier! Say if you’re looking for dissemination tools, look in CSPA to see if one has been developed and then you can just on the lego block on your other leg blocks

Impact GSBPM GSIM CSPA De-facto global standard Implemented in over 50 statistical organisations GSIM Many new implementations Incorporated Neuchâtel Classification Model CSPA Growing number of CSPA services Recognised in ESS Vision 2020 The work of the High level group has already had a significant impact.

Common language for collaboration Impact GSBPM De-facto global standard Implemented in over 50 statistical organisations GSIM Many new implementations Incorporated Neuchâtel Classification Model CSPA Growing number of CSPA services Recognised in ESS Vision 2020 Common language for collaboration Perhaps most importantly, especially in the present context of communication and dissemination, these 3 standards provide a common language for collaboration within and between statistical organisations.

Managing GSBPM and GSIM Owner = High-Level Group Maintenance is delegated to the Modernisation Committee on Standards Discussion forums to gather feedback Importance of stability over time Reviews every 5 years Revisions only if really needed

HLG Activities – Engagement Map Countries and organisations involved in HLG activities in 2014. Size of shape is roughly proportionate to level of engagement. If you want to get involved contact Steven Vale: steven.vale@unece.org

More Information HLG Wiki: www1.unece.org/stat/platform/display/hlgbas LinkedIn group: “Modernising official statistics” Steven Vale: steven.vale@unece.org