Introduction to ESDS International

Introduction to ESDS International

Celia RussellEconomic and Social Data

Service MIMAS

April 14th 2004University of Manchester

Delivering the World: The Establishment of an

International Data Service

Celia RussellEconomic and Social Data Service MIMAS, University of Manchester

UNECE/OECD Work Session on Statistical Dissemination and Communication

February 14-15th 2005

Structure of the Talk

Economic and Social Data Service

ESDS International −Background to service−Data acquisition strategy−Data re-distribution licensing−Delivering the data−Building a new user community−Value added activities−Storytelling examples−Conclusion and future of service

Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS)

National data archiving and dissemination service for social science data in the UK

ESDS provides free access to, and support for a huge range of social and economic datasets for the academic sectors

Jointly supported by Joint Information Systems Committee and the Economic and Social Research Council

Project partners are Manchester University and Essex University

ESDS Specialist Data Services

ESDS has four specialist data services:

ESDS Government ESDS Longitudinal ESDS Qualidata ESDS International

Each providing: dedicated web sites dataset documentation user support training and the data!

ESDS International

Led by MIMAS at the Manchester University in partnership with ESDS management at the UK Data Archive and is funded for five years.

Provides the UK academic community with free web-based access to a range of key international macro databanks produced by organisations such as the United Nations, OECD and World Bank

Helps users to locate and acquire international micro level datasets

Promotes the use of international datasets in research and teaching across a range of disciplines

International data providers

The databanks originate from:

the International Monetary Fund the OECD the United Nations the World Bank Eurostat the International Labour Organisation the UK Office for National Statistics

Databases in the service (1)

• OECD Main Economic Indicators • OECD Main Science and Technology Indicators • OECD Quarterly Labour Force Statistics • OECD Social Expenditure Database • OECD Measuring Globalisation • OECD International Development • OECD International Direct Investment Statistics • OECD International Migration Statistics • OECD Services Statistics • Time Series Data

Databases in the service (2)

• UNIDO Industrial Statistics • UNIDO Industrial Demand Supply • IMF Direction of Trade Statistics • IMF International Financial Statistics • IMF Balance of Payment Statistics • IMF Government Finance Statistics • World Bank World Development Indicators • World Bank Global Development Finance • United Nations Common Database • Eurostat New Cronos

• ILO Key Indicators of the Labour Market

Background to service

Increasingly globalised world– Importance of international data growing– Powerful Inter-Governmental Organisations – Need for informed debate

Timely factors– IGOs want to demonstrate increased

transparency– Datasets can now be converted for web

delivery– Funding bodies want to encourage and

expand research into international issues

Barriers to use of international data

Prohibitive data license costs Lack of awareness of available data Multiple non web-based interfaces Different service providers Multiple registration systems Absence of coordinated data acquisition strategy Size and complexity of datasets Problems in obtaining up-to-date data Lack of integrated user support service Lack of appropriate data handling skills

Data Acquisition Strategy

Continued access Data selection

– Literature survey– ESDS User consultation survey– Data mapping exercise– Prohibitive data license costs – previously

barrier to use– Research quality

International data themes

Databanks cover:

Economic performance and development Trade, industry and markets Employment Demography, migration and health Governance Human development Social expenditure Education Science and technology Land use and the environment

Data Re-distribution Licensing

Breaking new ground! – UK wide data re-distribution agreements

Data negotiations Databeuro Model licences Special conditions

Delivery of the Data

Beyond 20/20 Web Data Server Requires standard web browser Accessibility compliant Allows sub-setting, displaying, visualising and

downloading of Time Series Data

Challenges of converting data Complex files Range of sources/formats Varying quality/amount of documentation

Visualisation Interface: CommonGISHuman fertility in Europe

Cross tabulations

Visualisation: global data

Value Added Activities

Specialist advice Online teaching and learning materials Structure guide to freely available data Training courses Promotional activities Data Wishes Visualisation interface Useful web resources elsewhere

Usage by database

Number of Accesses (January 2005)

0

200400

600

800

10001200

1400

Nu

mb

er o

f ac

cess

es

User Categories

academic26%

postgraduate45%

undergraduate23%

other student6%

Usage by discipline

38%

2%6%7%

26%

4%

3% 3% 2%

Economics/ econometrics

Sociology

Politics / InternationalStudies

Economics / labour /employment

Business / Accounting /Finance

Natural Sciences /Engineering / Maths

History

Geography

Area Studies

Academic user needs• Up to date data• Long and consistent time series• Good coverage, low sparsity• Available metadata• Different levels of aggregation• Very high quality and reliable with good temporal and

geographical coverage. • Relatively stable data domains • Good long term potential for research and teaching• Strong opportunities for comparable research• Evidence of usage world wide• Authoritative sources

Some User Problems

• Missing data• Locating data

– Need for standardised metadata for subject, country, periodicity, time range, definitions

• Comparability– Some databanks better than others for

comparing countries

• Understanding discrepancies between databanks– Theoretically identical data points different in

different databases

Example of a data discrepancy

Why the service is so popular

• Up to date data – the databanks are updated with the latest releases

• Data free at point of use (licence costs paid centrally)

• Single web interface to all the databanks – users only have to learn it once

• Single portal for wide range of international databanks, links to other resources eg freely available data

• Consistent and comprehensive documentation• Training, user support, helpful helpdesk

Storytelling (with the international databanks!)

Iraqi Trade With Rest of WorldSource IMF Direction of Trade

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Tra

de i

n U

S$,

mil

lio

n

EXPORTS

IMPORTS

Example from the World Development Indicators

An example we use in teaching:

Life Expectancy in Europe and Africa

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

Lif

e E

xpec

tan

cy a

t B

irth

World

Europe & Central Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Further Work

Continue delivery of portfolio with additional databanks on energy, the environment, telecommunications, health

Monitor demand for data Discover how data used Continue promotional activities Develop teaching and learning materials

ConclusionsESDS International has greatly improved usage of the international databanks in the UK. Now used by thousands, with hundreds of new users each month. Before the existence of the service, the data was used by only a handful of institutions. It is now used by virtually all UK universities.

The service has significantly increased the awareness of UK social science graduates of international data resources

So successful in the UK, it maybe now extended to other countries

http://www.esds.ac.uk/international