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Multichannel publishing of statistics (electronic publications and database) - Finnish experience
Seminar on dissemination of statistics and launching a new web solution in NBS, Moldova
Chisinau, 27. May 2010
Markku Huttunen [email protected]
27.5.2010 2Markku Huttunen
Changing over from a printed statistical system to an electronic one
Statistical information has been reported, released and disseminated in the form of printed publications
Statistics Finland’s oldest statistical publication series has been published for over 250 years (>)
Internet has put the traditional way of reporting, publishing and disseminating statistical information in turmoil
Traditional form of publishing is disappearing (=tables and the information needed in their interpretation in one volume in a publication series of official statistics)
27.5.2010 3Markku Huttunen
Common Structure of Statistical Information (CoSSI)
The point of departure in the CoSSI was an (infological) analysis of the information being considered.
The conclusion from the analysis was that although in practice the definition of statistical information has varied according to a given situation and application, in reality statistical information has a certain simplifiable and acceptable universal structure.
The CoSSI describes the general structure that is not dependent on the situation of the statistical information presented in differing formats.
=> CoSSI defines the structures of statistical data, metadata and publications (>)
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Dissemination process - Office97
Figure: Harri Lehtinen
27.5.2010 5Markku Huttunen
XML based dissemination process - XML and PC-Axis
Figure: Harri Lehtinen
27.5.2010 6Markku Huttunen
Archiving of an electronic statistical publication
How will the statistical information published today only in electronic format be available in 10 or 30 years’ time?
In CoSSI model the XML file of the publication contains the information content, the statistical metadata and the publication metadata in the desired languages in one XML file -> archived in the eXist XML database
Keeping published publications permanently accessible to users is an essential element of a good information service in time (>)
27.5.2010 7Markku Huttunen
Roles of an electronic statistical publication and a table database (1)
Tables in databases are different than tables in publications (printed or electronic) Database tables are not archived as tables published in printed, HTML or PDF publications are In database tables, data on older observations are always published according to the latest situation Linking an electronic publication to the related database tables is a problem: data only correspond with
each other at the moment of publishing
Picture: Harri Lehtinen
27.5.2010 8Markku Huttunen
Roles of an electronic statistical publication and table database (2)
At Statistics Finland, tables in PX-Web database are not linked to any other background database: PX-Web database builds up on the server from published PC-Axis files
In the XML publishing system PC-Axis files published in the PX-Web server are saved into a directory of statistics
Publications and related database tables are archived
The electronic publications and the related database tables (in PC-Axis format) are archived unchanged -> two advantages:
1) it makes sense to link the tables published in the database to the publication
2) an archive is created for the tables published in the PX-Web database (>)
27.5.2010 9Markku Huttunen
New practices for releasing statistics
Statistical releases 650 / year (FIN, SWE), 350 (ENG) The objectives and requirements of the XML publishing
process under construction were taken into account e.g. archiving and multichannel distribution
Statistics Finland’s XML-based publishing system over one thousand XML-publication titles are produced 2007-2010 in May 2010 from 200 statistics 150 use the XML-publication process
27.5.2010 10Markku Huttunen
Redesigning of publications
Old publishing process (Office97) one statistics publishes 1) a statistical release (minimum) 2 ) printed
publication 3) tables in statistical database (StatFin/StatLine) all produced using different production processess, different
dissemination channels and with different content New publishing process (XML and PC-Axis)
one statistics publishes 1) a statistical release (minimum) 2) electronic publication (+ print) 3) tables in statistical database (StatFin/PX-Web)
statistical release and publication (1 and 2) have merged into one entity
27.5.2010 11Markku Huttunen
Basic publication from statistics
The role is to release basic data on the official statistics An entity that describes a single set of statistics at a certain
reference time statistical release, a more extensive text section, table and figure
annexes and a standardised quality description The objective is to transfer the basic publications from
statistics comprehensively into the new XML-based publishing process
27.5.2010 12Markku Huttunen
Redesigning tables
The role of tables in a basic publication from a set of statistic is to describe the key points in a compact way
Even though PDF publications are also created for multichannel distribution, the main principle is “electronic first”
Tables must function properly in HTML format, so they have to be small and deal with only one subject
usability and space (>)
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Figure: Jaakko Laakso
Browser viewVertical A4Printed Statistical Yearbook
27.5.2010 14Markku Huttunen
Switching over from old-style printed publications to electronic publishing
Majority of the tables in publications, which are larger than a single A4-sized page, will be transferred to the database
The basic publication from a set of statistics is divided into electronic content published online, with two different formats and user interfaces (HTML and PDF) + tables published in a statistics database
27.5.2010 15Markku Huttunen
Sources
Common Structure of Statistical Information (CoSSI) <http://www.stat.fi/cossi>.
