UNECE METIS work session on statistical metadata Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April SDMX as a source of standardised terminology: MCV and cross-domain concepts Marco Pellegrino,

2 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 Please pass on my regards to former colleagues in SDMX and METIS. Good luck with your meetings. Best regards Denis Ward

3 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 Starting point for the MCV: the Tower of Babel Metadata concepts used for identifying/describing statistics Tower of Babel: same name for a different concept or different name for the same concept. Code lists jungle. Different metadata and quality frameworks Metadata more and more demanded to assist data interpretation, but… Metadata still hard to exchange in an automated way From the Tower of Babel to “lingua franca”? Syntax  Technical standards, SDMX-ML Semantics  Cross-domain concepts, located in the MCV

4 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 The SDMX Content-Oriented Guidelines Set of recommended practices - applicable across several statistical subject-matter domains - for creating data and metadata sets using the SDMX standards Version 1 of the COG is available at for public comments up to 31 May 2008www.sdmx.org Send comments to: Cc:

5 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 The SDMX Content-Oriented Guidelines package Content-Oriented Guidelines The Guidelines are supplemented by five annexes: Annex 1 - Cross-Domain Concepts Annex 2 - Cross-Domain Code Lists Annex 3 - Statistical Subject-Matter Domains Annex 4 - Metadata Common Vocabulary Annex 5 - SDMX-ML for Content-Oriented Guidelines (zip file) Annex 5 - SDMX-ML for Content-Oriented Guidelines (zip file)

6 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 The UNSC Commission… 1.Welcomed the SDMX initiative and recognized with appreciation the sponsors’ leadership in heading an important initiative for more efficient data communication at national and international levels 2.Recognized and supported SDMX as the preferred standard for the exchange and sharing of data and metadata 3.Requested that the sponsors continue their work on this initiative and encouraged further SDMX implementations 4.Emphasized the need to further involve national and international agencies by enabling opportunities for collaboration with the sponsoring organisations in order to influence decision-making and its governance to address their needs, especially in the area of developing cross-domain concepts.

7 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 Organising cross domain concepts Collect CDCs that are used across SDMX organisations and their constituencies (an evolving list) Provide definition and context explanations (linked to Metadata Common vocabulary) Document usage for data and/or metadata structures Link to code lists for coded concepts Map to existing frameworks (e.g. IMF DQAF, Eurostat Metadata Structure, OECD Metastore)

8 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 Cross-domain concepts (CDC database) For each concept: –Name and ID –Description and explanation of context –Representation (free text, code list) –Possible role (as a dimension, or attribute, in a DSD or MSD) –Link to IMF-Eurostat-OECD metadata frameworks CDCs are not: –a requisite for SDMX technical conformance –an imposition to statistical organisations CDC are: –a framework to promote reusability of exchanged data and metadata

9 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

11 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

12 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 Use of cross-domain concepts

13 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 MCV: Expected benefits and use  Improved visibility for existing definitions (building on existing sources where feasible to avoid a proliferation of “standard” terminologies)  Improved accessibility to a set of standard definitions of metadata terms through a single web address  Facilitate mapping of different metadata systems, including those at national level, independently from any specific metadata model  Support to standardisation and consistency of metadata compiled  Support to XML structures and web services for searching and comparing statistical data and metadata with minimum need to determine “semantic equivalence”

14 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008

15 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 MCV and general glossaries MCV (411) General glossaries (7 000) SDMX concepts (130) SDMX concepts (130) International (e.g. Eurostat / OECD) Terminology International (e.g. Eurostat / OECD) Terminology National terminology National terminology

16 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 MCV STRUCTURE (February 2008) Glossary fields Title (mandatory) Definition (mandatory) Context for the definition (optional, but widely used) Definition source (mandatory) Links to related terms within the glossary (optional) URL to more detailed information (optional)

17 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 RAMON RAMON  CODED

20 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 MCV: Issues for discussion  Link between MCV and cross-domain concepts  Scope of the MCV glossary: interaction with other general and domain-specific glossaries, including those at national level  Extent of usage and relevance of terms currently in the MCV. Suggestions for definitions and additional terms  Use of MCV concepts in connection with national metadata systems and national glossaries (translation, mapping)  MCV “flat” structure (term, definition, context, source, related terms, hyperlinks)

21 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 MCV: Issues for discussion (2)  Maintenance and periodic revisions (frequency?)  Use of registry facilities for notifying interest and launching a public review. Notification about amendments to the glossary  Involvement of NSIs and other stakeholders in the MCV revisions  Need for versioning of definitions in MCV – some definitions will evolve / change  Focus on concepts first, and then on translations

22 Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD work session on statistical metadata (METIS) Luxembourg, 9 to 11 April 2008 Nothing is more practical than a good theory We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people (George Bernard Shaw)