1. Sub-Regional Workshop on International Merchandise Trade Statistics Compilation and Export and Import Unit Value Indices 21 – 25 November Guam Reef & Olive Spa Resort, Tamuning, Guam DISSEMINATION Presentation by Nilima Lal Economic Statisticians, Pacific Community

2. Data and metadata dissemination
IMTS should comply with the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and be made available on an impartial basis by official statistical agencies to honour the entitlement of citizens to public information.
dissemination of data and metadata, therefore, should be
treated as an integral part of the national programme of trade statistics
carried out with great care and attention to the needs of users
ensure adequate confidentiality of data providers

3. Factors to consider in data and metadata dissemination
Statistical confidentiality
“Passive confidentiality” as opposed to “Active confidentiality”
Reference period
Calendar period basis, according to the Gregorian calendar
Data dissemination timetable
Advance release calendar
4. Timeliness
Data can be released as provisional estimates - by definition these would be based on relatively limited data content and would be replaced by more accurate but less timely figures at a later date.
Monthly data within 45 days after the end of the month
Quarterly data within 60 days after the end of the quarter
Annual data within 90 days after the end of the year.
5. Data revision
Develop a revision policy that is synchronized with the release calendar
6. Dissemination strategy
Turn data into information

4. Dissemination of metadata.
Provision of adequate metadata and quality assessment of IMTS are as important to users as the provision of data itself.
Metadata is “data about data” and encompasses:
who has created them and when
definition of the concepts applied
description of how data were collected and processed before they were disseminated or stored in a database

5. Recommendation for PICTs
Dissemination of data and metadata is an integral part of IMTS and should be made available to all users in an impartial basis Regional Release Tables.xlsx FSM_Release.docx