Summary of

workshop
Workshop on Writing Metadata
for Development Indicators
Lusaka, Zambia
30 July 1 August 2012

Workshop objective
Build capacity of countries in writing
metadata for development indicators
with a view to improving data quality
and resolve discrepancies between
national and international sources

Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), Guide to the new Millennium Development Goals
Employment Indicators including the full set of Decent Work Indicators, 2009.

UNDP Guide to
Measuring Human
Development

a reference
tool that provides
guidance on
statistical
principles

Types of metadata

Uses of metadata

Data discovery
Define and describe data resources
Drive statistical production
Capture information about sources
Integral to the IT environment
Describe quality of outputs

Source: Graeme Oakley, Australian Bureau of Statistics

www.unescap.org/stat/apex/2/APEX2_S.4_conference_Statistical%20Metadata%20Standards.pdf

Existing guidance

Metadata and development

indicators

indicators often have multiple data

sources
users may have limited knowledge of
statistics
discrepancies in MDG estimates

Improving MDG metadata is a

global priority
National

statistical systems to
improve the compilation of
metadata in countries and
their accessibility by users

Recommendation from the

International Conference on MDGs Statistics, Manila,
October 2011

Challenges you face

Within the NSO
Need a metadata champion
Lack of consistent practices
Lack of awareness about metadata
Capacity gaps in metadata management
Limited documentation on business processes
Not mandatory to produce metadata
Data influenced by operating partners
Limited legislation / accountability
Reluctance to share knowledge
Lack of dissemination policies and systems

Challenges you face

Outside the NSO
Other organizations require training
Limited resources to provide guidance
Inconsistent standards
Practices not harmonized
NSO needs to lead in this area / set standards
One-off data collections create problems
International estimation difference

On their own,
statistics are just
numbers

Who
are you
talking
to?

Metadata for presentation

with data

Metadata presented with data

Mandatory
metadata

1. Title describing data being

presented
2. Data provider
3. Statistical concepts and
definitions

Conditional
metadata

4. Comparability (geographical / over

time)
5. Source data
6. Symbols or abbreviations

Optional metadata

7. Accuracy
8. Contact information
9. References / Relevant links

Metadata about an overall data

series
1.Name
1.Name of
of data
data series
series
2.Goal
2.Goal and
and target
target
addressed
addressed
3.Method
3.Method of
of
computation
computation
4.Definition
4.Definition
5.Rationale
5.Rationale
6.Sources
6.Sources and
and data
data
collection
collection
7.Gender
7.Gender issues
issues

National activities
1. Convince management about need for action
2. Create awareness about importance of
metadata
3. Establish a technical working group on
metadata
4. Develop metadata framework and strategy
5. Create a metadata-friendly culture
6. Develop standards and produce metadata
tools (e.g. national compendiums, guidelines,
templates)
7. Produce a training manual

National activities
8. Train statisticians / other data producers
in writing metadata
9. Collect, edit and compile national MDGrelated metadata from across the NSS
10.Disseminate metadata (hard and soft
copy)
11.User-producer workshops to get feedback
12.Create a data quality assessment
framework
13.Ensure AU Handbook is used by the NSS

Regional activities
1. Campaign for action / convince heads of NSOs
2. Agree on a minimum standard for writing
metadata
3. Translate metadata guide into other
languages
4. In-depth training on SDMX (train the trainer)
5. Further training on metadata
6. Collate national metadata at the regional level
7. Create technical committee to review
metadata and provide feedback to NSOs
8. Compile and publish regional metadata

Regional activities
9. Needs assessment to identify gaps in
statistical capacity
10.Standard set of indicators, AU
handbook and legislation
11.Build adequate capacity in
implementing a quality framework
statistics

Expectations of the workshop

Better understanding / knowledge produce
and disseminate better metadata
Tools to apply what we learn
Develop skills of other data producers
Get managerial support: resources and will
Guidance on how to customize MDG
metadata to reflect national practices
How to build on what NSOs have already
done

Expectations of the workshop

SDMX: what is it and how to
implement?
Standard format for writing metadata
How to narrow the gap between
different data sources?
How to build a data warehouse?
Resolve international and national
discrepancies

What are metadata? Provide

a short definition.
Answer: metadata are data
that defines or describes
other data.

What metadata would you

expect to be included with data
presented in a table?
Answer: a clear title , column /
row labels, footnotes , data
provider, source of the data

Why is metadata particularly

important when reporting on
development indicators, such
as the MDGs?
Answer:
indicators often have multiple data sources
users of MDG reports may have limited
experience in interpreting statistics
differences in MDG estimates

What benefits can be gained

by improving the way
national statistical offices
produce and manage
metadata?

Benefits of managing
metadata
Use up-to-date classifications and
definitions
Gain resources
Increase morale and productivity
Capitalising on lessons learned
Make it available to users
Easier for data users to understand
Increased trust in official statistics

What are some tips / advice

for writing good metadata?

Answers include:

Be aware of the target audience

Use clear and simple language
Keep sentences and paragraphs short
Avoid technical terms, jargon and acronyms
Ask colleagues to review the data and
metadata do they make sense?
Use a standard glossary of terms for
consistency
Develop publication or style manuals for
how data / metadata are presented