Moving into the 21st Century: A New Strategy for Disseminating IMF Statistics and Metadata

1
Moving into the 21st CenturyA New Strategy for
Disseminating IMF Statistics and Metadata

• Working Session on Emerging Trends and Best
  Practices in Data DisseminationUnited Nations
  Statistics DivisionMarch 3, 2006

2
The Current Situation

• 4 traditional products in print and on CD-ROM
• Balance of Payments Statistics
• Direction of Trade Statistics
• Government Finance Statistics
• International Financial Statistics
• 3 online products, different formats
• International Financial Statistics
  (modeled after the CD-ROM)
• International Reserves (static tables)
• Coordinated Portfolio Investment Statistics
  (static tables)
• IMF Data Dissemination Standards Bulletin Board
• Special Data Dissemination Standard
• General Data Dissemination System

3
First Steps...

• Spring 2005 two studies commissioned by the
  IMFs External Relations Department and
  Statistics Department
• Qualitative Usership Research of traditional
  products (conducted by Research Perspectives)
• Review of Best Practices for Web Dissemination of
  Data (conducted by Sabatier Consulting)
• Fall 2005 studies completed and results
  presented to IMF staff

4
Key Findings and Recommendations
Qualitative Usership Research6 focus groups, 36
in-depth interviews

• Positive feedback
• Users of IMF data also access data from a wide
  variety of sources (e.g., OECD, UN, World Bank)
• IMF databases have an excellent image (the gold
  standard) but some reputational issues
• Online data desired despite access limitations in
  some locations
• Many still want print publications
• More data desired, e.g., data on Taiwan and trade
  breakdowns
• Some interest in one large database (super IFS)
  rather than separate products
• World Banks World Development Indicators
  mentioned as an ideal in terms of
  user-friendliness

5
Key Findings and Recommendations
Qualitative Usership Research (contd)6 focus
groups, 36 in-depth interviews

• Negative feedback
• IFS online and CD-ROM considered highly
  user-unfriendly by current standards
• Desire for more information on definitions yet
  confusion over the term metadata
• What metadata does exist users cannot find
• Data are not sufficiently timely
• Quality control issues users find errors in the
  data which are not corrected quickly enough
• Insufficient information on changes to the
  database
• Dislike of IMF mnemonics (impenetrable)
  requiring print publication to understand data
• Insufficient information on series definitions
• Inadequate content support for users

6
Key Findings and Recommendations Best Practices
for Web Dissemination of Data40 telephone
interviews 19 comparable organizations, 21
data distributors

• Increasing worldwide access to and comfort with
  the Internet
• Users wish all data accessible via the Internet
• Trends toward free access simpler, flatter
  pricing and instant pay-per-use
• Online downloads replacing CD-ROMs but demand for
  print likely to continue
• Many technologies in use although move towards
  industry standard software
• Slow movement towards standardization of database
  structures and metadata

7
Key Findings and Recommendations Best Practices
for Web Dissemination of Data

• Provision of data in XML
• Desire to store queries for repeated execution
• RSS feeds increasingly utilized
• Importance of clear metadata for searching and
  understanding data
• Desire to have references from main web site to
  partner organizations offering data
• Customer support essential but move to online
  help to reduce resources
• Need for online mechanisms for feedback and
  questions

8
Next Steps...

• Winter 2006
• Statistics Department staff retreat to consider
  medium-term strategies of the IMF
• Introduction of StatisticsQuery_at_imf.org
  permitting content questions to come directly to
  the Statistical Information Management Section
  (SIMS was created in June 2005) of the Statistics
  Department
• Adoption of Remedy for tracking queries to ensure
  timely responses and consistent responses
• Creation of a library of responses to ensure
  consistency of message and reduce resource
  requirements

9
Next Steps...

• Spring 2006 issues to be addressed
• Work practices within Statistics
• Development of a statistical data warehouse
• The role and extent of metadata
• Effective user support
• Technology alternatives
• Marketing and pricing strategies
• Summer 2006 and beyond implementation of
  short-term and medium-term strategies for online
  dissemination

10
A Vision for the Economic Data Warehouse and
Future Dissemination



DATAWAREHOUSE

EXISTING DATA METADATA
DATA SEARCH ELABORATION
Plus additional metadata
Rationalized Databases, Gaps Identified
Web Access to Data Warehouse
Data
(disseminate as appropriate)
IMF.ORG Statistics Portal
Validated Data
Metadata

• Searchable by
• Topic
• Country
• Source
• Reports

Publications

External Data OECDMEI INTLINE
CD ROM
Metadata