SASQAF

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Survey Metadata Tool Data Management and
Information Delivery Project (DMID) 13 February
2008 1st African Digital Curation
Conference CSIR International Convention
Centre Pretoria, South Africa
Matile Malimabe
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Overview

• Metadata in Context
• Official Statistics and Quality
• Enabling Quality with Metadata
• Tool Demo
• Conclusion

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Metadata in Context

• What is Metadata?

Data, Information, or any Object that may be used
to Describe or Define Data Collected, Procedures
followed and Methodologies used during
statistical programs
Example
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Metadata in Context Cont

• Why Metadata?
• To ensure Quality of Statistics
• By Documenting Production Processes, Techniques
  and Methodologies used in Production of
  Statistical Products
• By Providing Information to Aid Analyses of Stats
  SAs Statistical Products

Therefore there is a close relationship between
Stats SAs Metadata and Quality Initiatives
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Official Statistics and Quality

• Section 7 (a) of the Statistics Act (No. 6 of
  1999) stipulates
• The Statistician-General may designate as
  Official Statistics any statistics or class of
  statistics produced from statistical collections
  by
• (i) Statistics South Africa or
• (ii) other organs of state, after consultation
  with the head of the organ of state concerned

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Official Statistics and Quality Cont

• Statistics are designated as official upon
  meeting the following four requirements
• Use beyond the needs of producer
• Sustainability
• Membership of the National Statistics System
  (NSS)
• Compliance with the Quality Provisions as
  stipulated in the South African Statistical
  Quality Assessment Framework (SASQAF)

SASQAF provides a universal framework for
assessing the quality of statistics within the NSS
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Official Statistics and Quality Cont
SASQAF Implications
SASQAF is one way of operationalising the Act
With SASQAF

• Quality of Statistics will be Measured
• Failure to meet SASQAF Quality provisions
  implies failure to achieve the Official
  Certification for produced Statistics

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Commitment to Quality
Official Statistics and Quality Cont
Strategic Stats SAs Commitment to quality is
encapsulated in its vision to be the preferred
supplier of quality statistics
Operational SASQAF Defines 8 Quality
Dimensions
Relevance
Accuracy
Timeliness
Accessibility
Interpretability
Coherence
Methodological Soundness
Integrity
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Enabling Quality with Metadata

• Survey Metadata Capture Tool
• Provides Central Storage for Metadata
• Provides Consistent Metadata Capture

• Captured Metadata may be Used
• For Interpretation of Disseminated Statistical
  Products
• As an aid to Training and Sustenance of
  Organisational Knowledge

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Summary

• Stats SA is developing (DMID)
• Standard Metadata Tools
• To Ensure Quality of its products
• Quality Framework
• To Measure/Assess Quality

• Metadata Tools
• Centralise Metadata for the organisations
  Statistical Products
• Maintain Consistent Metadata in the organisation

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Tool Demo
We will now show a short Demo of the tool DMID
has Developed to Capture Statistical Metadata
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Conclusion
Innovative Technology Tools e.g. Survey Metadata
Capture Tool
Quality SASQAF Framework
Metadata Standardisation
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• Thank You!!!