CountryData

Using SDMX to exchange MDG data

between national statistical offices and

international agencies

Statistical Data

& Metadata eXchange

World BankUNSDUNSD

SDMXISO TS 17369

• A set of standards, guidelines, and tools to be used for efficient exchange of statistical data and metadata.• Endorsed by the international statistical community.

UNSD-DfID Project objectives

• Improve the coherence and clarity of dev’t indicato rs- Improve coordination in the NSS- Collate development data in 1 place/database- Explain differences between intl. & nat. data

• Improve accessibility and visibility- Make access to national data easier- Draw attention to wider set of indicators- Reduce data request burden

• Enhance knowledge- Strengthen IT support- Use of latest IT software & practices- Training & skills development

SDMX

• Perceived by some to be overly complex and difficul t to learn– New tools, such as Eurostat’s SDMX Reference

Infrastructure, greatly simplify SDMX exchange and lower the cost of implementation.

– Proficiency in SDMX is still required.

• Most of existing data exchange flows were established either between international organizations, or between advanced countries and international organizations.

• Project gives the participants their first experien ce with SDMX using well-known and easy-to-use platform and tools.

CountryData SDMX

Data Exchange Model

National Registry

National Repository DB

1. Publish

2. Register

CountryData Web Service

3. Notify

4. Download

CountryData DB

5. Upload

SDMX Dissemination Site

InternationalMDG DB

6. Publish and Visualize

National Statistical Office

CountryData Web Site

National Development Indicator

Repository• Countries decide which platform to use.

• Most project countries have opted for the DevInfo platform.

• Working with the project, DevInfo Support Group developed a set of tools that facilitate data exchange, such as the SDMX Mapping tool and SDMX Registry.

DevInfo SDMX Mapping Tool

• Visual interface that greatly simplifies mapping between DevInfo database structures and MDG Data Structure Definition

• Support for reference metadata in addition to data

• Key to lowering barrier to entry to SDMX

• Available as part of DevInfo v. 7 installation

DevInfo SDMX Registry

• Part of, and integrated with, DevInfo v.7

• Structural metadata repository that supports SDMX 2.0 and 2.1

• Supports SDMX subscriptions and notifications

• Has a SOAP-based API

• Implemented in 8 project countries– Implementation pending in 1 country.

• Central repository developed for the project• Part of the UNdata platform• Automatically receives and publishes data from

countries’ registries– Provides re-dissemination and visualization of nati onal data– Facilitates, and displays the result of, analysis o f

discrepancies between data from national sources an d international agencies.

• Focus on reference metadata as the key to understanding the nature of national data and sources of discrepancies.

• Countries control what is published at CountryData– Data is published by the countries without any

intervention by UNSD

MDG Data Structure Definition

• Data Structure Definition (DSD) for MDG Indicators, developed and approved by the Interagency and Expert Group on MDGs Indicators (IAEG), is used as a basis for data exchange in the project.

• MDG DSD code lists were extended, since non-MDG indicators are also supported by the project.

• MDG Metadata Structure Definition, available as a draft, was adapted and used by the project for the sharing of reference metadata.

Open Platform

• CountryData can accept data compliant with MDG or CountryData DSD.– Thailand developed data exchange based on its advan ced

data exchange and dissemination system, StatXChange , and uses Metadata Technology’s Fusion Registry.

– Morocco is on the way to developing SDMX exchange u sing its own data dissemination database, BDS.

• Mexico’s offer to share its indicators, compliant w ith the MDG DSD, was gladly accepted and its data published at the CountryData web site.

Thank you for your attention

http://unstats.un.org

http://data.un.org

http://data.un.org/countrydata

Abdulla Gozalov gozalov@un.org

Ian Rutherford rutherford@un.org