The value added of a national statistical institute

1
The value added of a national statistical
institute

• Max Booleman
• Marleen Verbruggen

2
Overview presentation

• Introduction changing environment of a NSI and
  (organizational) consequences
• The business architecture
• Role of metadata in the future statistical system
• Organizational aspects managing metadata
• Summary / conclusions

3
Introduction

• Mission CBS
• To compile and publish undisputed and coherent
  up-to-date statistical information that is
  relevant for practice, policy and research
• Increasing demands for statistical information
• Combining information from different sources
  the value added of a NSI
• Rapid developments in ICT
• Resulted in process oriented organisation in
  2000. However until present there remain a
  considerable number of (small) ICT-systems

4
Business architecture

• What does a business architecture
• it tries to translate the strategic goals of an
  organization into an optimal organizational
  structure including the supporting ICT systems

5
Principles of the business architecture

• Organization CBS wide, generic set-up of
  processes and ICT support. ICT support
  independent of organizational structure.
• Product support of all products. Fast and
  flexible response to changing demands for new
  products.
• Process reducing the number of ICT systems,
  development of more generic systems, implementing
  transparency by adding process metadata
• Environment addressing the increasing diversity
  of channels used by suppliers

6
Business architecture
7
The business architecture and metadata

• Metadata is corner stone of the future
  statistical process. Guiding principles
• Strict distinction between implementation
  (production) and design (development)
• No regular production without metadata processes
  are metadata driven
• Strict distinction between data and metadata
• Strict distinction between metadata and the
  metadata of these metadata
• Metadata easily accessible and standardised
• Design / maintenance of prescribing rules are
  important statistical activities

8
Managing metadata

• One of the activities for the coming period an
  up-to date, approved, organizational structure
  for managing metadata.

9
Managing metadata

• Different roles
• The theme administrator responsible for thematic
  area
• The interested parties mainly users
• The supplier supplier of metadata
• The authority formal owner of the metadata
• The communicator organises distribution and
  accessibility of metadata
• The editor responsible that output metadata
  needs required textual standards
• The coordinator starts / coordinates the process

10
Managing metadata

• The phases of the process
• The initiation phase by proposal or signal of a
  problem to the coordinator and theme
  administrator
• The production phase drawing up a recommendation
  
• The authorization phase approval of
  recommendation, includes also escalation
  procedure
• Setting up phase communication and
  implementation of possible accompanying measures

11
Experiences

• - Described process is running, but without theme
  administrators. Coordinator acts as theme
  administrator for all themes
• - Main experience on output-side of statistical
  process challenge to make connection to input
  and throughput
• Difficulties
• Coordinator not subject expert for all themes
• Departments do not feel responsible enough
• Labour intensive task

12
Summary and conclusions

• Increasing availability of external registrations
• Challenge of a NSI to combine them, create a
  coherent and consistent set of concepts and
  figures the value added of a NSI
• Organization of a NSI should support this
  development, including ICT system
• Business architecture may be useful tool to
  design optimal (ICT-)structure
• Multiple use of tools and data reinforces need
  for appropriate metadata system
• Building set of consistent, standardised
  conceptual metadata is labour intensive
• Strong coordination is needed
• For process and quality metadata looking for
  best practices

13
The value added of a national statistical
institute

• Max Booleman
• Marleen Verbruggen