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Explore the adaptation of global indicators to regional contexts in ESCWA countries for measuring progress towards information society goals. Discover tools and principles for effective data collection and analysis.
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Adapting the indicators Simon P. Ellis Head of Communication Statistics
The information society • Its already here! ESCWA countries need to catch up • OECD already have a full set of operable indicators • They need adapting to regional contexts
WSIS • World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis November 2006 • An international partnership has been working on indicators • ITU, UNCTAD, OECD, UNESCO, Regional Commissions and others • Partnership also committed to capacity building
Why international data standards and definitions? • International comparison • Global indicator reports • To measure progress against global goals • National standards for national policy
Objectives of annex • Limitations in measurement • What dimensions should be captured? • What is appropriate for non-OECD countries?
Some major dimensions to consider • What are the policy issues that need to be captured? • What data are already available? • What new indicators might be feasible?
Fundamental principles • Only collect what is necessary • Minimise response burden • Don’t duplicate (don’t collect what others are already collecting)
Main chapters in OECD text • ICT products • Demand form households and individuals • Content • Social impact
ICT products • How to capture market characteristics? • Leapfroging • Mobiles more important than landlines • Linking technologies • TV to internet or Internet to print • Infrastructure • Electricity • Bandwidth
Demand by business • Business registers – sample base • E-commerce, marketing or research • International or national market?
Household and individual demand • How to measure community access? • Which questions to incorporate in existing surveys? • Administration of survey eg post or interview • Literacy • How to use PCs • How to access information • Variability in access and bandwidth
Content • Content for whom? Audience • Language • E-commerce or marketing
Social impact • Rural and urban distinctions • E-governance who uses? • Remote access to • Health info. and doctors • Education material and teachers
E-readiness • Which indicators identify preconditions for the information society? • How fast is the information revolution moving? Eg. Straight to wireless • Frequency of survey
E-readiness 2 • Availability of training • Availability of infrastructure • Electricity, phone lines • Connectivity or bandwidth
A major question • Why is Arab States the only region where increasing usage has not led to increased local content?
Some successes • Bahrain • Government Data Network • 1GB per second between all gov. depts. • Internet banking; 20% of inet users • Jordan Education Initiative • E-curricula • National Learning Network • How to measure impact? • How to replicate?
Some principals for adaptation • Geographic: some topics may not be applicable to some parts of the country • Data availability: different datasets may provide different indicators. If no data available estimate (with metadata) • Administration: technicalities of questions may require personal interviews • Sampling frames: both demographic and enterprise registers may not be complete leading to coverage or sampling problems
Some principals for adaptation • Evolution of market: relationship between technologies leap frogging, combined technologies, to be captured > frequency of survey • E-readiness: surveys may be more applicable for least-developed provinces/districts • Content: needs to be taken into account as reflecting market – software in Arabic, web sites for info or e-commerce