Metadata Management at the FSO

1. Metadata Management at the FSO Introducing an end-to-end approach to sustain modernisation projects METIS, 9-11 April 2008, Luxembourg

2. Agenda • Current situation & experiences made with CODAM project • Modernisation projects at FSO • Changes in data processing • New incentive for metadata centralisation • Organisational framework for metadata management • Centralisation vs. decentralisation, roles of stakeholders • Metadata validation • New metadata management system

3. Current situation - CODAM • First iteration of COrporate DAta (and metadata) Management Initialisation Data collection Transformation Analysis Interpretation Information Enrichment Distribution Central metadata system (CODAM) Classification Server (CODAM) Concept documents Decentralised metadata systems Statistics Portal Direct output for elements not yet integrated in central metadata system (exception).

4. CODAM - Key learning • Metadata centralisation using a cross-domain metadata model is possible. • Centralisation does not (necessarily) mean harmonisation. Harmonisation requires centralisation. • Integration of central system with production processes and production systems is critical to achieve success. • In the long term, only end-to-end approaches to metadata are likely to answer needs (create once, reuse many times).

5. Modernisation projects at FSO • Integrated statistical production systems: • Aggregation of related Statistical Activities in coherent systems • Reuse existing data and metadata (variables, terms, etc.) • Use of administrative registers if possible • Harmonisation of collection methods, processing and outputs • Under the supervision of a unified system manager

6. Centralisation of new metadata types • Integrated systems require new metadata: • Process definitions and monitoring • Variable derivation and transformation, from source (questionnaire, register) to published output • Populations and sampling techniques • History changes in classifications • Standard quality indicators for Data Collections and Variables

7. Organisational framework • Identify metadata stakeholders in FSO, model interactions and define roles in metadata processing. • Definition of tasks to be done by: • A central unit in charge of metadata harmonisation • Heads of integrated statistical systems (intermediate level) • Decentralised metadata producers • Goal: ensure coherence and quality of metadata created by decentralised producers in the central metadata system.

8. Organisational framework

9. Metadata validation • Validation checkpoints and areas of autonomy for metadata producers Initialisation Data collection Transformation Analysis Interpretation Information Enrichment Distribution Area of autonomy 1 (Conception) Area of autonomy 2 (data collection and variable transformation) Area of autonomy 3 (analysis and description of end statistical products) Metadata is frozen (or corrected after its initial publication) Validation checkpoint Validation checkpoint Validation checkpoint

10. New metadata management system • Support additional metadata types as required by integrated production systems • Allow an end-to-end processing of metadata in one system • Accessible to all metadata stakeholders in the organisation, with emphasis on decentralised content creators • Optimisation of metadata modelling (versioning, etc.) in the same modelling paradigm (Neuchâtel Terminology, MetaNet) • New IT development to ease integration with other databases

11. Thank you for your attention • For further information: • Fabien Perrot • fabien.perrot@bfs.admin.ch • CODAM (Corporate Data Management) • codam@bfs.admin.ch