Statistics Explained a new way of disseminating statistical content

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1 Seminar on Innovative Approaches to Turn Statistics into Knowledge July 2009, Washington DC Statistics Explained a new way of disseminating statistical content Ulrich Wieland, Eurostat

2 The problem Large amounts of value-added content available in publications Publications do not easily reach the audience Production process for publications is very cumbersome -> The Eurostat management committee asked for more effective ways of dissemination Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

3 The solution Using Wiki for content creation Collaborative approach Same software as Wikipedia (Mediawiki) A procedure for content validation Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

4 The governance Balance between efficient cooperative working and the need to control the content Updating by all Eurostat staff Validation of layout, language, structure, readability, hyperlinks etc. by the dissemination unit Validation of content by the competent statistical unit; each page is owned by one unit All changes are traced Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

5 Reaching the audience Familiar look and feel, clear presentation Intensive hyperlinking Visible in search engines (Google etc.) Internal navigation through hierarchical themes, through categories, and through search Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

6 Simplification of the production process (Example: Statistics in Focus, 4-12 pages) 14 steps with traditional publishing, 3 months 4 steps with Statistics Explained, a few days: Article written/modified by somebody Verification/correction by the thematic unit Verification/correction by the dissemination unit Dissemination Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

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14 The overall structure of Statistics Explained and its articles Statistical articles: presenting and explaining statistics; standard structure Background articles: Explanations of statistical concepts or definitions in a popular way Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

15 Statistical articles Standard structure: Short definition Main statistical findings description and/or analysis of most important statistical data, illustrated by tables and/or graphs Data sources and availability description of data sources, survey and data availability and limitations Context context of data collection and statistical results: policy background, uses of data, Further Eurostat information (Links) Example: Life expectancy statistics Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

16 Background articles Free format. Explaining statistical concepts in a popular way. Can be a short definition or a longer methodological article. Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

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20 First experiences A number of colleagues has started to actively using the new system While text changes can be done by virtually everybody, changing tables, graphs and hyperlinks needs basic technical know-how Some concerns exist concerning the control of the content Since data is not automatically updated from the data base, the creation date of the article and the tables/graphs must be very clear The support by the top management is essential Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

21 Expectations A much faster and a more efficient way of disseminating value-added content A much better use of the analytical and contextual information available in Eurostat Better integration of all Eurostat output (data, analysis, methodology, cross-cutting topics, etc.) Over time, substantial quality improvement of all Eurostat value-added output Little development and maintenance cost Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

22 Current status The project has been approved by the Eurostat Management Board The content of the Eurostat yearbook and various other publications has been integrated Currently, the statistical units are checking and revising the content Opening as beta-version to a limited public is planned for August Opening as beta-version to the public is planned for September Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

23 Medium term developments Future publications such as the Eurostat yearbook should be developed on the basis of the content of Statistics Explained Archiving of Eurostat content should be done by regularly converting the Statistics Explained into a pdf file Integration with the Eurostat website is to be completed Integration of the Eurostat glossary and other available information is planned Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

24 How to access Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

25 Contact Ulrich Wieland, Eurostat tel Statistics Explained, Washington D.C., July

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