1. Working Group on Energy Data Dissemination Practices Presentation on the mandate
Gerhardt Bouwer
Statistics South Africa
Oslo Group on Energy Statistics, 10th meeting
11 May 2016

2. Background

3. Background Stats SA was involved in the following Oslo group meetings
Feb 2006
1st meeting
Feb 2008
3rd meeting
May 2011
6th meeting
Feb 2007
2nd meeting
May 2014
9th meeting

4. Background 9th Oslo Group meeting, 5-8 May 2014
Main object to discuss various topics related to energy data, such as:
Energy prices
The use of administrative data sources
The collection of data on renewable energy
Electronic data collection
Data dissemination
Quality reviews of energy data
Suggestion was made to establish a working group to discuss energy data dissemination
South Africa was the discussant at the dissemination session and the country was tasked to take the lead of the workgroup

5. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices

6. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
The importance of energy statistics dissemination
Energy data dissemination fulfils the responsibility of a fundamental principle of official statistics:
“Official statistics … are to be compiled and made available on an impartial basis by official statistical agencies to honour citizens' entitlement to public information”
Energy statistics are disseminated in various forms and through different dissemination channels and media platforms
A dissemination policy ensures the following issues are addressed:
Scope of the data for public dissemination
Reference period and data dissemination schedule
Data revision policy
Dissemination formats
Dissemination of metadata and data quality reports

7. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
The importance of energy statistics dissemination
The dissemination policy should be user oriented, reaching and serving all kinds of users and provide quality information
A good understanding of the user needs are essential
The user satisfaction survey is an important tool to detect user needs and profiles

8. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Statistical confidentiality
It is important to consider the scope of data which can be publically disseminated:
Statistical confidentiality should be upheld through the protection of respondent information against any breach of the right to confidentiality through unlawful disclosers of the data
Legal provisions governing statistical confidentiality for each country should be considered
Application of confidentiality rules should be done in a way to promote access to data while maintaining confidentiality

9. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Data dissemination and statistical confidentiality
South African Statistics Act (Act 6 of 1999)

10. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Timeliness, reference period and dissemination timetable
Announcing in advanced the precise dates at which various series of energy statistics will be released
The advanced released schedule should be posted at the beginning of the year on the agency’s website
It is important to take the following into account:
Timing of the collection of the initial data by various source agencies
The extent to which data derived from the major data sources is subject to revision
Timing of preparation of important national economic policy documents that need energy statistics as inputs
Modes of data dissemination
In order to improve timeliness, a statistical agency should assess punctuality in terms of (1) production time, (2) frequency of release, and (3) punctuality of release

11. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Timeliness, reference period and dissemination timetable

12. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Data revision
Provisional data should be revised when new and more accurate information becomes available
The two types of revisions are as follows:
Routine, normal or concurrent revisions which form part of the regular statistical production process
Special revisions which do not form part of the regular revision schedule

13. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Dissemination formats
Dissemination of energy statistics to a wide variety of users increases the awareness and trust
The chosen dissemination format should suit the users’ needs
Energy statistics should be made available electronically and maintained by the responsible agency
Social media platforms give organisations access to a wide spectrum of users on a daily basis

14. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
SASQAF
Stats SA defines quality data according to South African Statistical Quality Assessment Framework (SASQAF)
Eight dimensions provide a benchmark against which statistics will be measured:
Relevance
Accuracy
Timeliness
Accessibility
Interpretability
Coherence
Methodological soundness
Integrity

15. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
South African National Statistics System (SANSS)
The objective of SANSS is to transform all national statistics into official statistics
Even though Stats SA is the statutory organ of state for official statistics, it is a part of the NSS, and not the other way around. The SANSS includes all the producers of statistics across government

16. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Dissemination formats: Publications available in hard copy format

17. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Dissemination formats: Publications in PDF format and data available for download

18. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Dissemination formats: Social media

19. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Dissemination formats: Summary articles / data stories

20. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Dissemination formats: Infographics

21. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Dissemination formats: Roambi (for Apple devices)

22. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
Dissemination formats: Mobile app

23. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
The Oslo Group will focus on:
Promoting the improvement of energy data dissemination practises by further developing recommendations
Address procedures to disseminate energy statistics. Examples include:
Data confidentiality and suppression
Timeliness and accuracy
Reference period and dissemination schedule
Data availability
The challenges of using administrative data
Issues relating to electronic dissemination
Quality of data: enhancing confidence and trust in official statistics

24. Mandate and work plan on energy data dissemination practices
The Oslo Group will focus on:
Availability and ease of use of metadata for the users
Broadening access to data and reducing barriers to access
Disclosure control is part of the statistical process
Confidentiality of data disseminated
At what aggregated/disaggregated level can data be disseminated