Information System for Quality Documentation

1. Information System for Quality Documentation • A Short Presentation for the ESTP Course “Data Dissemination and Publication of Statistics” by Sonia Vittozzi (Rome, Istat) on the the Italian National Institute of Statistics website Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

2. What is SIQual? General description • The Information System on Quality (SIQual) is a navigation system based on the SIDI system. • SIDI contains metainformation and standard quality indicators on the statistical production processes (primary surveys and secondary studies) carried out by Istat. Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

3. The SIDI System as an output of the SIDI system SIDI-Top (on the Intranet) SIQual (on the Internet) Quality declaration On-line data Short methodological note (Printed Yearbook) Full methodological report for printed publications Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

4. SIDI-Top: The Navigation System • On Istat Intranet  Oriented to internal users • Equipped with functions that allow to analyse quality taking into account the process characteristics • Equipped with functions that allow to compare surveys sharing relevant aspects of the production process • Provided with internal monitoring functions (reporting) Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

5. SIQual: The Navigation System • On Istat web-site  for external users (metadata only) • Implemented with graphical standards and user-friendly functions • Including the subset of statistical process with a given level of documentation • Provided with helped searches and selection criteria that never lead to “empty results” • Equipped with a data warehouse to perform queries that lead to multidimensional tables Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

6. SiQual includes information about: General description • process content and its operational characteristics (process phases and operations); • quality in terms of activities of prevention, monitoring and evaluation of errors (quality actions) • quality in terms of documentation on process and product quality. Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

7. The website accessing page • Note: English version is under testing! English version under testing Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

8. Helped search Research functions • This function allows to select a statistical production process carried out by Istat (primary survey or secondary studies) by means of different guided researches. The following researches are available: tematic research (area, sector, topic and phenomenon), observational units research, phases-operations-quality control actions research separately for primary surveys and secondary studies, on-line data research, and publication research. Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

9. Multidimensional search Research functions • This function allows to get a lists of primary surveys and secondary studies sharing some characteristics, that can be selected from the menu Criteria. Some criteria are common to both types of statistical production process, others are esclusive of one of the two. As a consequence, results can be referred to lists of primary surveys and secondary studies, or lists of only primary surveys and lists of only secondary studies. Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

10. Complete list Research functions • All Istat statistical production processes (primary surveys and secondary studies) documented in the system are listed. It is possible to perform simple searches for substring words in the “Process name” field, or to perform advanced searches (for substring words, words or derived words) on the other characteristics of the production process. Some filters to restrict the resulting lists are also available. Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

11. Process description Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

12. Documents Research functions/Process description • On line general documents classified by area and theme (Methodological documents, Operational documents, Eurostat documents, European Regulations, Questionnaires) • Documents about quality of an Istat statistical production process (primary survey or secondary study). General documents on quality and documents related to a given survey or a given secondary study are available in the area “Documents”. If the primary survey or the secondary study provides on line data, the link to such data system is available through SIQual. Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

13. SIDI outputs: Documentation about Quality SIQual (on the Internet) SIDI-Top (on the Intranet) Standard quality declaration On-line data Full methodological report for printed publications Short methodological note (printed Yearbook) Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

14. Different degrees of complexity in the documentation of quality: Documentation about Quality • Methodological short notes (Statistical Yearbook) • Standard quality declaration • Other (non standard) documents on quality Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

15. Methodological short notes… Documentation about Quality …in the Italian Statistical Yearbook Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

16. Next releases: Developments • Integration with the on line catalogue (direct link to the Istat volumes available on the web site) • Integration with on line data (direct link to data banks, tables, information systems) • English version of the site (in response to Eurostat peer review on Code of Practice – December 2006) Madrid – March 3-5, 2008

17. Information System for Quality Documentation • SIQual is beeing implemented by the Istat Service “Audit for the Quality” (PAQ - mail to: paq@istat.it) • Giovanna Brancato and Concetta Pellegrini of the PAQ Service have given their precious aid to this short presentation on the the Italian National Institute of Statistics website Madrid – March 3-5, 2008