1. LUCAS SURVEYS 2009/2012: Optimising comparability
LUCAS Task Force Meeting
Eurostat, E4: LUCAS Team

2. LUCAS sample: two phase design
Stable since 2006
Stratification
Aiming at NUTS2 level estimates
New regions added in each survey
Fine-tuning in methodology (experience and feedbacks)
Trade-off: improvements versus ensuring comparability
Improve comparability of LUCAS results

3. LUCAS 2009 and 2012 results Optimising comparability 3 WPs
Improvement in the classification
Area sampling applied with differences (thresholds and allocation)
3 WPs
proposing proper imputation models for the areas not covered (e.g. using LUCAS 2009 observations for some areas not covered in LUCAS 2012).
QRs
New statistical tables

4. Classification change: Land Cover
Harmonised criteria of coverage (10%)
More restrictive definition of Bare-land (from a coverage of 50% to 90%)
Exclusion of mire and swamp forests from land cover peatbogs and the contextual assignment of points to woodland
In comparison with 2009, this explains mostly the decrease of Bare-land, due to the more restrictive definition and the swap from Wetland to Wooded areas.

5. Classification change: Land Use
2 classes suppressed (added parameter status)
Hunting
Natural reserve
the suppression caused a redistribution of the areas of the different uses and impacted the comparison with previous year.

6. LUCAS 2009 and 2012: Exclusion criteria from second phase sample

8. PROPOSED APPROACH Separate treatment of the different modules
Combining estimation with modelling
2009 only elevation
2012: elevation + accessibility
< 1000m
> 1500m

9. Main issues addressed

10. Weighting factor [direct and calibrated estimator]
Direct: inverse of selection probability
Post – Calibration
Elevation class: m m m
>900
NUTS2¦¦strata
NUTS1¦¦elevation
NUTS0¦¦strata¦¦elevation 531

11. Results 8 (total area)+ 8 (area < =1500) results
For each year,
Starting from different input data set: Base and "projected w/t-1, t observation"
Direct and calibration estimator
Same procedure excluding from points > 1500
[open issue: how to estimate area above 1500 m; is this kind of data vailable at national level]
8 (total area)+ 8 (area < =1500) results
Ongoing assessment of best approach