Heli Mikkelä Statistics Finland (heli.mikkela@stat.fi) Findicator: Internet service with hundred indicators measuring progress Heli Mikkelä Statistics Finland (heli.mikkela@stat.fi)

The Findicator Joint project between the Prime Minister’s Office and Statistics Finland Provides information on the social development in Finland Improves the availability and accessibility of indicator-like information Supports evidence-based decision-making. PMO: ”to strengthen the evidence-based policy-making culture within the Finnish Government” The Findicator is not only about indicators — IT-technology, frequent updates, and links to further sources of information are equally important Target group: Members of the parliament and their assistants, press officers, journalists Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

Presentation Background and planning of the service Project 2008-2009 Introduction to the service Technical solutions Future Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

Feasibility study: questions What is your current information use like? Do you use statistics/indicators in your work? Are you satisfied with the current indicators? Any problems? Can you give me an example of your latest search for indicator-like information? Which of the current presentation methods of indicators are most useful for you? Is there a need in Finland for a new indicator service? What should it be like? Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

Feasibility study: 20 interviews in spring 2008 Members of the parliament Assistants of the MPs Civil servants Journalists Teachers Researchers Regional decision-makers Consultants Press officers Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

Five central problems in using information according to users ”There is a lot information, but I can’t find it” ”The information is too old” ”The information is too complicated” ”The information is not policy relevant” ”Information does not match the user needs” Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

”Information does not match the user needs” Users wanted * numbers * metadata * detailed information about upcoming updates * ready-to-use graphics * links to further information Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

The Joint Project Oct 2008 - Dec 2009 Launched by the top management of the Prime Minister’s Office and Statistics Finland The PMO Selecting (policy-relevant) indicators Contacts with other data providers: to get other agencies to provide the data Co-operation with the interministerial working group Promotion of the service Statistics Finland System and information architecture The updating system and methods Setting up the web-site Maintaining the database The main data provider .. in practice the work was carried out jointly in close cooperation Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

Already there… The project team Cooperation network within the statistical service The portal of official statistics The new XML-based publishing Standardised PX-tools Long expertice in indicators The project team About 15 persons (IT- and information departments) Indicator development Informatics Database management Internet coding Graphic design Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

The service - opened 14 Oct 2009 The set of indicators a total of ca 100 indicators information provided by 17 organisations grouped by themes (12) and government programme policies (10) Each indicator Graph Analysis Description Table Database Links => Updated automatically from available information. => Updated at the same time as the statistics is released. www.findikaattori.fi www.findicator.fi Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

Latest Themes updates & Topics grouped by grouped by Indicator lists previous week Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

Producing organisation Last updated, the next release date Producing organisation Indicators under the topic Links to the data table and the graph Ingress/ summary of the latest release Links to further information Description of the indicator Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

Architecture/ Statistics Finland StatFin: Production Database Statistical publication: FastWeb: - CoSSI-XML - Office VERTI Publishing system PX-Web Publishing system PX Graphs, tables, Excel www.stat.fi/ statistics PX Administration Indicator maintenance: Text, Links, Information retrieval system Statistical release: Analysis, metadata. StatFin: Statistical database PX-Web www.findicator.fi Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

Text, PX, links, release time Architecture: Other agencies Source data Web-form Text, PX, links, release time t Statistics Finland SAS-macro SAS Publishing system of SF PX Excel PX-Edit PX CSV etc. StatFin: Statistical database StatFin: production database PX-Web Text, links PX-Web www.findicator.fi Administration Graphs, tables VERTI Publishing system Harri Lehtinen 15.3.2010

Achievements new tools and solutions for web publishing closer cooperation with the information users closer cooperation within the national statistical service and other information producers posivite publicity launched by the prime minister of Finland OECD-recognition for the best indicator service using new technology reasonably steady usage Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

In the future cooperation to be continued to be supplemented by new indicators as necessary English and Swedish versions under consideration currently, introduction and lists of indicators available in English and Swedish Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010

Contacts for further information Technical solutions: Hans Baumgartner (hans.baumgartner@stat.fi) Harri Lehtinen (harri.lehtinen@stat.fi) The contents and general questions: Laura Mäkelä (laura.makela@stat.fi) Kim Huuhko (kim.huuhko@stat.fi) Heli Mikkelä 16 April 2010