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European Modernisation Workshop ESSNET on SDMX II - Use of the Deliverables Laura Vignola

23-24/01/2014 - Valencia

Valencia 23-24, January, 2014

• Follow up of the ESSNet on SDMX (phase I).

• The countries involved were: Italy (coordinator), Bulgaria,

Slovak Republic and Sweden.

• Duration was of 18 Months.

• 4 Work packages were proposed with different objectives.

• The planning project period was, from the end of September

2010 (Invitation letter) to the begin of November 2010

(MBGA submitted to Eurostat).

General information

Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange


• Develop software to facilitate the dissemination of statistical data in SDMX format.

• Provide capacity building action on SDMX through manuals, handbook and workshops.

Main Aims of the ESSNet on SDMX II

All the WPs were based, partially or as whole, on the SDMX Reference Infrastructure (SDMX-RI) intermediate version: a set of tools released by Eurostat to support NSIs in the dissemination of data in SDMX format.

Software Capacity building


• From co-partners to coordinator: based on monthly reports.

• From coordinator to Eurostat: based on quarterly reports + intermediary deliverables.

• Physical meetings:

• kick-off meeting,

• three coordinator meetings.

Communication aspects


Templates for the administrative tasks: were based on the templates used in the previous ESSNet. Templates for the documentation to be delivered

• Analysis documentation

• Documentation of the test phase

• Installation guide • Step by Step tutorial

Produced on some examples provided by Eurostat

Homogeneity of documentation


WP2 - SDMX – PC-Axis integration (SCB)


WP2: SDMX – PC-Axis integration (SCB)

Objectives:

Finalize the work started in the ESSNet on SDMX (phase I): disseminate data in SDMX format starting from PC-Axis environment.

Deliverables:

An new architecture in which the PC-Axis tools have been integrated with the SDMX-RI for data reporting in SDMX.

Practical Workshop on how to use the released architecture.


A family of software for the management and dissemination of statistical data

The architecture has been released and it is actually usable by the PC-Axis community.

Further improvement are foreseen by Eurostat on the

SDMX-RI to include a dedicated PC-Axis driver (Autumn 2014).

The workshop was held back to back with the Istat

workshop.

Use of deliverables – WP2


WP3 - SDMX for microdata handling (INFOSTAT)


WP3: SDMX for microdata handling (INFOSTAT)

Objectives:

Finalize the work started in the ESSNet on SDMX (phase I): analyze the feasibility to describe microdata in SDMX and develop a software for data collection in SDMX.

Deliverables:

eCollect-X application, a software that allows the creation of electronic questionnaires and allows the description of microdata using the SDMX artefacts. Document on a comparison between DDI vs SDMX standards.


Data Documentation Initiative: an initiative to define a standard for describing data from the social, behavioral, and economic sciences

The software eCollect-X released at the end of project, was tested from a functional point of view but was not completely tested to see if it covers all the NSI’s expectations. Eurostat, during the SISAI meeting of 2013, proposed NSIs to test it.

The potential use of eCollectX must be seen in the light of

the on-going international developments in particular related to the use of DDI and SDMX.

The comparison between DDI and SDMX standards

has been used in context in which the two standards are compared (i.e. BLUE-External Trade Statistic).



http://www.blue-ets.istat.it/fileadmin/deliverables/Deliverable5.2.pdf



WP4 - Harmonization of existing tools (ISTAT, BNSI)


WP4-Harmonization of existing tools (ISTAT, BNSI)

Objectives:

Complete the SDMX-RI with a software for the data loading.

Provide instruments for IT people on how to reuse the source code of the SDMX-RI for their own needs.

Deliverables:

Loader application, a software to create and populate a “SDMX compliant” database for data dissemination. It is integrated with the SDMX-RI.

Analysis of source code on some modules of SDMX-RI representing the core of the infrastructure.

Two “Step by Step” tutorials based on real examples on how to reuse the source code of SDMX-RI.


The Loader will be used in an internal Istat project (SISTAN-HUB) to support Italian regions not having a dissemination database.

Istat is in contact with Eurostat on the possibility to use the

Loader for the ESA VIP project. Istat continued to work on the Loader application (Loader ver. 2.0

released October 2013). http://bms.istat.it/sodidownload/download.aspx

The analysis of the source code has been used by Eurostat to

complete its analysis documentation. The Step by Step tutorials were used internally in Istat SDMX

technical training courses.



http://bms.istat.it/sodidownload/download.aspx

WP5 - Capacity Building (ISTAT)


WP5: Capacity Building (Istat)

Objectives:

Provide capacity building actions on SDMX both for statisticians then for IT staff

Deliverables:

Handbook on how to model statistical data in SDMX

Workshop on SDMX based on the model of UNESWA (United Nation’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) for IT staff and statisticians on how to overcome, jointly, some issues related on SDMX


Capacity building deliverables

The handbook has been promoted by Istat and Eurostat during the training courses and in SDMX implementation when relevant.

It was requested by some international working groups (i.e.

Statistical Network - Innovation in Dissemination). Eurostat is finalizing the updating (on January 2014 should be available through our SDMX Info Space site). The workshop (two sessions) represented an important

practical experience of knowledge sharing and discussion on SDMX between IT people and statisticians.


https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/sdmx/index.php/Main_Page

The software delivered is not already in production but part of it is planned to be used in the future. The deliverables related on the “Capacity Building” domain have been reused in several contexts

Why??

There is an objective difficulty to use software produced by third parts:

• when used as it is, it must cover the NSI expectations,

• when used as open source, it must be developed under strict programming rules.

General consideration


Strengths

• Frequent contacts among co-partners, coordinator and

Eurostat.

• Release of intermediary deliverables.

• Definition of templates for the documentation.

• Strict cooperation with Eurostat.


• Too short planning period.

• Share common objectives among co-partners (more

complex but with greater chance of success).

• The SDMX standard version was evolving from 2.0 to 2.1

and the infrastructure used (SDMX-RI) was changing to the

ultimate version.

• No strict rules were defined for the software

development (who can require their use?

The coordinator or Eurostat?).

Weakness


What should be planned for the future

• Re-adaptation to the new version of the standard

(SDMX 2.1).

• Re-adaptation to the SDMX-RI ultimate version.

• Test of the software in different environments and

using different Use-Cases

on a voluntary basis? as part of a user group, task force ...?

How? Who?


Thank You


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