Good Practices - OECD

Below are the 12 recommendations included in the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Good Statistical Practice, together with a set of good practices ... Share GoodStatisticalPractice:ToolkitGoodPractices Belowarethe12recommendationsincludedintheOECDRecommendationoftheCouncilonGoodStatisticalPractice,togetherwith asetofgoodpracticesrelatingtoeach.Noneofthesegoodpracticesarebyandinthemselvesnecessaryorsufficienttoconsideraparticularrecommendationasfulfilled,theyaretobeconsideredasindicative.However,ifasizablepartoftheseorsimilarpracticeshavebeenputinplace,thisprovidesagoodindicationthatcountrypracticelivesuptotherecommendationinquestion. Goodpracticesdirectlyadoptedfromthe EuropeanStatisticsCodeofPractice are signalledby“ECoP”. DownloadthesetofGoodStatisticalPracticesinPDF 1.Putinplaceaclearlegal&institutionalframeworkforofficialstatistics 1.Putinplaceaclearlegalandinstitutionalframeworkforofficialstatisticswhichshouldinparticularprovide: i)   detailsastotheorganisationoftheNSS,thelegalstatusandroleoftheNSO,aswellasthelegalstatus,functions,relationship,rightsandresponsibilitiesofotherinstitutionswithintheNSS; ii)     aclearmandateforinstitutionsoftheNSStocollectdataforstatisticalpurposes. Goodpractices 1.1.Existenceofacomprehensiveandcoherentstatisticallegislationperiodicallyrevisedandamended.Thestatisticallegislationdefinesthenatureofofficialstatistics;thelegalframeworkforthecompilation,productionanddisseminationofofficialstatistics;thelegalstatus,roleinthesystem,functions,relationship,rightsandresponsibilitiesofinstitutionswithintheNSS;themandatefordatacollection;thecoverageofstatisticalactivities;andtherole,functionsandcompositionoftheStatisticalCouncil.ThestatisticallegislationalsoregulatestheorganisationoftheNSS;theindependenceoftheNSOanditshead;therelationshipbetweentheproducersofstatisticsandrespondents;theaccesstoadministrativerecordsandtheiruseforstatisticalpurposes;thedisseminationpolicy;thelegalinfrastructureforensuringtheconfidentialityandthepenaltiesincaseofbreachofconfidentiality;budgetissues;theavailabilityofsufficientresourcesforfinancingstatisticalprogrammes,theinternationalstatisticalco-operation,andtheco-ordinationofstatisticalactivitieswithinthecountry'sstatisticalsystem. 1.2.Lawsandregulationsgoverningthecollection,compilationandproductionofofficialstatisticsareconsistentwiththeUNFundamentalPrinciplesofOfficialStatistics. 1.3.Statisticalauthoritieshaveaclearmandatefordatacollectionandtheauthoritytocompelrespondentstocomplywithdatarequests(e.g.thePopulationandHousingCensus,AgriculturalCensus,surveys,administrativesources,etc.).InthecaseofPopulationandHousingCensus,obligationforcitizenstoparticipateandtorespondtothequestionnairesislegallybindingandestablishedbylaw. 1.4.StatisticalAuthoritiesarerequiredbylawtoconductaCensusofPopulationandHousingandaCensusofAgricultureatleasteverytenyears. 1.5.Statisticallawsandregulationsarepubliclyavailable.  2.EnsureprofessionalindependenceofNationalStatisticalAuthorities 2.EnsureprofessionalindependenceofNationalStatisticalAuthorities. Tothisend,AdherentsshouldensurethattheNationalStatisticalAuthorities: i)   areprofessionallyindependentfromotherpolicy,regulatoryoradministrativedepartmentsandbodies,aswellasfromprivatesectoroperators,consideringthatprofessionalindependenceoftheproducersofofficialstatisticsisessentialfortheproductionandthedisseminationofobjectivestatistics; ii)     havetheexclusiveauthority,aspartoftheirprofessionalindependence,todecideonstatisticalmethodsanddissemination; iii)    areprotected,throughtheinclusionofexplicitprovisionsinstatisticslegislation,frompoliticalandotherinterferenceindeveloping,compilinganddisseminatingofficialstatistics. Goodpractices 2.1.TheprofessionalindependenceoftheStatisticalAuthoritiesfromotherpolicy,regulatoryoradministrativedepartmentsandbodies,aswellasfromprivatesectoroperatorsincompilinganddisseminatingofficialstatisticsisexplicitlyguaranteedbylawandensuredinpracticebyallentitiesoftheNSS. 2.2.TheHeadoftheNSO,andwhereappropriate,theheadsofotherNationalStatisticalAuthorities,haveresponsibilityforensuringthatstatisticsaredeveloped,producedanddisseminatedinanindependentmanner.(ECoP) 2.3.TheHeadoftheNSO,andwhereappropriate,theHeadsofotherNationalStatisticalAuthorities,havethesoleresponsibilityfordecidingonstatisticalmethods,standardandprocedures,andoncontentandtimingofstatisticalreleases.(ECoP)Thisisexplicitlyprovidedbylaw. 2.4.TheHeadoftheNSO,andwhereappropriate,theHeadsofotherNationalStatisticalAuthorities,havesufficientlyhighhierarchicalstandingtoensureseniorlevelaccesstopolicyauthoritiesandadministrativepublicbodies.Theyareofthehighestprofessionalcalibre.(ECoP) 2.5.TheappointmentoftheHeadsoftheNSOand,whereappropriate,theHeadsofotherNationalStatisticalAuthorities,isbasedonprofessionalcompetenceonly.Thereasonsonthebasisofwhichtheincumbencycanbeterminatedarespecifiedinthelegalframework.Thesecannotincludereasonscompromisingprofessionalorscientificindependence.(ECoP) 2.6.NationallegislationprovidesclearanddetaileddescriptionoftheprocedureforappointmentanddismissaloftheHeadoftheNSO.AlistofconditionsunderwhichtheHeadoftheNSOcanbedismissedisprovidedforbylaw. 2.7.AclearreportingsystemfortheHeadoftheNSOisprovidedforbylawinordertoensureandreinforceitstechnicalindependence. 2.8.Thestatisticalworkprogrammesarepublishedandperiodicreportsdescribeprogressmade(ECoP). 2.9.Statisticalreleasesareclearlydistinguishedandissuedseparatelyfrompolitical/policystatements(ECoP). 2.10.TheNSOandwhereappropriate,otherNationalStatisticalAuthorities,commentpubliclyonstatisticalissues,includingcriticismsandmisusesofstatisticsasfarasconsideredsuitable(ECoP). 2.11.Datacollection,dataproductionandreleaseofinformationareensuredwithoutformalapprovalfromthirdparties. 2.12.AStatisticalCouncilincludingexternalexpertsadvisestheHeadsoftheNationalStatisticalAuthoritiesonstrategicstatisticalissues.ThenatureoftheStatisticalCouncilandthereportingarrangementstogovernmentareprovidedforbylaw. 3.Ensureadequacyofhumanfinancial&technicalresources 3.EnsureadequacyofhumanfinancialandtechnicalresourcesavailabletotheNationalStatisticalAuthoritiesfortheproductionanddisseminationofofficialstatistics.Tothisendadherentsshouldensurethattheresourcesare: i)    sufficienttoallowNationalStatisticalAuthoritiestomeettheircommitmenttoquality,andtomeetprofessionalstandardstherebyfulfillingtheirroleasprovidersofreliable,relevantandaccessibledatafornationalandinternationaluse; ii)     adequatetoproduceaminimumcoresetofdata,tobedefinednationallyorinternationally,tomonitortheeconomy,societyandtheenvironment. Goodpractices 3.1.NationalStatisticalAuthoritieshavesufficientfundingforstatisticalproductionanddissemination,tosupportstafftraining,todevelopcomputingresources,andtoimplementinnovation.Resourcesareadequateinmagnitudeandinqualitytomeetstatisticalneeds. 3.2.Theadequacyofresourcesisregularlymonitored. 3.3.Thescope,detailandcostsofstatisticsarecommensuratewithneeds(ECoP). 3.4.Proceduresexisttoassessandjustifydemandsfornewstatisticsagainsttheircost(ECoP). 3.5.Proceduresexisttoassessthecontinuingneedforallstatistics,toseeifanycanbediscontinuedorcurtailedtofreeupresources(ECoP). 3.6.NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesimplementapolicyofcontinuousvocationaltrainingfortheirstaff(ECoP).  4.Protecttheprivacyofdataproviders 4.Protecttheprivacyofdataproviders Protecttheprivacyofdataproviders(includingindividuals,households,enterprises,administrations,andalllevelofgovernment),andguaranteebylawtheconfidentialityoftheindividualinformationprovidedanditsuseforstatisticalpurposesonly. Goodpractices  4.1.Statisticalconfidentialityisguaranteedbylaw(ECoP). 4.2.Specificmeasuresareinplacetoensurethefullprotectionofindividualdatafromanypotentialdisclosurewithoutconsent,withtheaimtoensuretheconfidenceofdataprovidersinparticipatinginstatisticalsurveys:writteninstructionsandinternalguidelinesareprovidedtostatisticalauthoritystaffonthefullprotectionofstatisticalconfidentialityintheproductionanddisseminationprocesses;appropriatepenaltiesareprescribedforwilfulbreachofconfidentialityandforanydisclosureofindividualdataofaprivatenaturethatcouldinfringeuponprivatelife.Thesepenaltiesarewell-knowntostatisticalstaffandnewemployeessignlegalconfidentialitycommitmentuponappointment. 4.3.Theconfidentialitypolicyismadeknowntothepublic(ECoP). 4.4.Physical,technological,administrativeandorganisationalprovisionsareinplacetoprotectthesecurityandintegrityofstatisticaldatabases(ECoP). 4.5.Provisionsareinplaceandinternalguidelinesareavailabletoallowexternaluseraccesstomicro-dataforstatisticalresearchpurposesunderstrictprotocolsandonlyafteranonymisationofthedata. 4.6.Privacyissuesasregardstheuseofnewdatasources(e.g.socialnetworkdata)areidentifiedandproceduresareimplementedtoguaranteestatisticalconfidentiality. 5.Ensuretherighttoaccessadministrativesources 5.Ensuretherighttoaccessadministrativesourcestoproduceofficialstatistics. Tothisend,Adherentsshouldensurethat: i)   NationalStatisticalAuthoritieshavetherighttoaccessadministrativedatafortheregularproductionofofficialstatisticsandtousethemintheinterestofensuringqualityofofficialstatistics,raisingtheanalyticalvalueofofficialstatistics,reducingburdenonsurveyrespondentsandreducingthecostofstatisticalprogrammes; ii)     NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesco-operatewithownersofadministrativerecordsasregardstheirstatisticalqualityandhaveauthoritytoinfluencetheirdesigntoensuretheyarefitforstatisticalpurposes. Goodpractices 5.1.TheStatisticalAuthoritiesareauthorisedbylawtouseadministrativerecordsfortheregularproductionofofficialstatistics. 5.2.Administrativesourcesareusedwheneverpossibleandcost-effectivetoavoidduplicatingrequestsforinformationandreducerelianceondirectsurveys. 5.3.NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesareinvolvedinthedesignofadministrativedatainordertomakeadministrativedatamoresuitableforstatisticalpurposes.(ECoP) 5.4.NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesco-operatewithownersofadministrativedatainassuringdataquality(ECoP). 5.5.Agreementsaremadewithownersofadministrativerecordswhichsetouttheirsharedcommitmenttotheuseofthesedataforstatisticalpurposes(ECoP). 5.6.Recommendedpracticesareavailableforthereportingandpresentationofadministrativedata. 5.7.LinkingadministrativedatawithsurveydataisencouragedbyNationalStatisticalAuthoritieswiththeaimofreducingtheburdenonrespondents,reducingthecostsinproducingofficialstatistics,andincreasingtheanalyticalvalueofofficialstatistics. 6.Ensuretheimpartiality,objectivityandtransparencyofofficialstatistics 6.Ensuretheimpartiality,objectivityandtransparencyofofficialstatistics throughthedevelopment,productionanddisseminationbytheNationalStatisticalAuthoritiesofstatisticsrespectingscientificindependenceputinplaceinanobjective,professionalandtransparentmannerinwhichallusersaretreatedequitably.Equitabletreatmentimpliesinparticularequalaccesstodatabyallusers. Goodpractices 6.1.Officialstatisticsarecollected,compiledanddisseminatedonanimpartialandobjectivebasisanddeterminedbystatisticalconsiderationsonly. 6.2.Equalaccesstoofficialstatisticsforallusersatthesametimeisguaranteedbylaw.Ifapublicorprivatebodyhasaccesstoofficialstatisticspriortotheirpublicrelease,thisfactandsubsequentarrangementsarepublicisedandcontrolled.Intheeventthataleakoccurs,pre-releasearrangementsarerevisedsoastoensureimpartiality. 6.3.Choicesofsourcesandstatisticalmethodsaswellasdecisionsaboutthedisseminationofstatisticsareinformedbystatisticalconsiderations(ECoP). 6.4.Errorsdiscoveredinpublishedstatisticsarecorrectedattheearliestpossibledateandpublicised(ECoP). 6.5.Informationonthemethodsandproceduresusedispubliclyavailable(ECoP). 6.6.Statisticalreleaseandstatementsmadeinpressconferencesareobjectiveandnon-partisan(ECoP). 6.7.Statisticalreleasedatesandtimesareannouncedinadvance.Atwelve-month-aheadadvancereleasecalendarisprovided.Officialstatisticsarereleasedaccordingastandarddailytime.Anydivergencefromthedisseminationtimescheduleispublicisedinadvance,explained,andanewdateisset. 6.8.Anymajorrevisionsorchangesinmethodologiesareannouncedinadvance. 6.9.Internalguidelinesaremadeavailablebystatisticalauthoritiestorespondtoerroneousinterpretationandmisuseofstatistics.Thesearewell-knownbystaff. 6.10.Statisticalplansandprogrammes,methodologies,processesandprocedures,qualityassessmentsaremadepubliclyavailablebythestatisticalauthorities. 6.11.Guidelinesexistforthepresentationofdata,includingthetreatmentoftimeseriesbreaks,andseasonallyadjusteddata,withtheaimtoensurethatofficialstatisticaldataandmetadataarepresentedinawaythatfacilitatesproperinterpretationandmeaningfulcomparisons. Linktoadherents'statisticsreleasecalendars 7.Employsoundmethodologyandcommittoprofessionalstandards 7.Employsoundmethodologyandcommittoprofessionalstandardsusedintheproductionofofficialstatistics. Tothisend,Adherentsshould: i)   applyappropriatestatisticalproceduresandmethods,includingastatedrevisionspolicy; ii)     strivetoadheretointernationalnormsandstandards,suchasmethodologicalmanualsdevelopedbytheUnitedNationsStatisticalCommissionorbytheOECD,andinternationalclassificationsinthestatisticscollectedbytheOECD. Goodpractices 7.1.Officialstatisticsareproducedaccordingtostrictlyprofessionalconsiderations,includingscientificprinciplesandprofessionalethicswithregardstomethodsandproceduresusedforthecollection,processing,storageanddisseminationofstatisticaldata. 7.2.Soundstatisticalmethodologyrequiringadequatetoolsandproceduresandexpertiseisimplementedandguaranteedbythenationalstatisticslaw(ECoP). 7.3.Internationalstatisticalstandards,guidelinesandgoodpracticesareappliedintheNSSasappropriate. 7.4.Nationalstatisticalclassificationsdevelopedbystatisticalauthoritiesareconsistentwithinternationalclassifications.Detailedconcordanceexistsbetweennationalclassificationsandthecorrespondinginternationalclassifications. 7.5.Proceduresareinplacetoensurethatstandardconcepts,definitionsandclassificationsareconsistentlyappliedthroughouttheNationalStatisticalAuthorities(ECoP). 7.6.Subjectmatteradvisorycommitteesmadeupofexternalexpertsadviseonrelevantstatisticalmatters. 7.7.Graduatesintherelevantacademicdisciplinesarerecruited(ECoP). 7.8.Co-operationwiththescientificcommunity,academicinstitutionsandinternationalorganisationsisorganisedtoimprovemethodologyandtheeffectivenessofthemethodsimplemented,andtoimprovemethodologicalandtechnicalskillsofstaff. 7.9.Strategiesforrecruitment,aswellasprocessesfortechnicalandmanagerialdevelopmentandtrainingofexistingstaff,areestablished,implementedandrevisedasrequired. 7.10.Inthecaseofstatisticalsurveys,questionnairesandsystemsforproductionaresystematicallytestedpriortothedatacollection. 7.11.Parallelrunsareundertakenwhensystemsorquestionnairesareredesignedinanysignificantway. 7.12.Surveydesigns,sampleselectionsandestimationmethodsarewellbasedandregularlyreviewedandrevisedasrequired(ECoP). 7.13.Thebusinessregisterandtheframeforpopulationsurveysareregularlyevaluatedandadjustedifnecessaryinordertoensurehighquality.(ECoP) 7.14.Datacollection,dataentry,andcodingareroutinelymonitoredandrevisedasrequired.(ECoP) 7.15.Appropriateeditingandimputationmethodsareusedandregularlyreviewed,revisedorupdatedasrequired.(ECoP) 7.16.Revisionsfollowstandard,well-establishedandtransparentprocedures.(ECoP) 7.17.Arevisionscheduleispublishedbytheproducersofofficialstatistics. 7.18.Thedesignofstatisticalquestionnairesusedinsurvey-baseddatacollectionprocessesisregularlyreviewed.  8.Committothequalityofstatisticaloutputsandprocesses 8.Committothequalityofstatisticaloutputsandprocesses, inparticulartokeyqualitydimensionsasdefinedinnationalandinternationalqualityassessmentframeworks,forinstanceintheQualityFrameworkandGuidelinesforOECDStatisticalActivities:timelinessandpunctuality(statisticsarereleasedinatimelyandpunctualmanner);relevance(statisticsmeettheneedsofusers);accuracy(statisticsaccuratelyandreliablyportrayreality);credibility(confidenceisplacedbyusersinstatisticalproducts);coherenceandcomparability(statisticsareconsistentinternally,overtimeandinspaceanditispossibletocombineandmakejointuseofrelateddatafromdifferentsources);andinterpretabilityandaccessibility(seeRecommendation9). Goodpractices   Qualitymanagement,monitoring,evaluationplansandreports 8.1.Aqualitypolicyensuresthattheproducersofofficialstatisticssystematicallyassessthequalityofofficialstatistics.Qualitypolicyispubliclyavailablethroughguidelines,framework,reports,etc.andstaffmembersreceiveappropriatetrainingfortheirapplication. 8.2.Anefficient,andpossiblyindependent,qualitymanagementsystemexists.Itincludesanappropriateorganisationalstructure;qualityindicatorsandothertoolsandprocessesfortheplanning,implementation,andmonitoringofthequalityofsourcedata;andthecollection,processing,anddisseminationofofficialstatistics. 8.3.Thenationalqualitymanagementsystemsarebasedonrecognisedmodelsforqualityframeworks,suchastheIMFDataQualityAssessmentFramework(DQAF),theEuropeanFoundationforQualityManagement,EuropeanCodeofPractice,theEuropeanStatisticalSystemQualityAssuranceFramework,TotalQualityManagementandISOEN9001,etc. 8.4.Thereareregularandthoroughreviewsofkeystatisticaloutputsinvolvingexternalexpertswhereappropriate(ECoP). 8.5.QualityassessmentandcertificationprocessesguaranteetheofficialnatureofstatisticsproducedinvariouspartsoftheNSS. 8.6.TheorganisationalstructureoftheentitiesbelongingtotheNSSandgovernancearrangementsareappropriateandregularlyreviewedtoassessandjustifynewstatisticaldemandsandrelatedcosts. 8.7.Informationandcommunicationtechnologiesareregularlymonitoredandassessedforuseindatacollection,dataprocessinganddatadissemination.  Accuracy 8.8.Sourcedata,intermediateresultsandstatisticaloutputsareregularlyassessedandvalidated(ECoP). 8.9.NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesputinplaceprocessestoensurethatsamplingandnon-samplingerrorsaremeasured,systematicallydocumented,andthatinformationismadeavailabletousers. 8.10.Studiesandanalysisofrevisionsareregularlyconductedaccordingtotransparentproceduresandtheresultsaremadeavailabletousers.  Timelinessandpunctuality 8.11.Timelinessmeetsinternationalstatisticalreleasestandards. 8.12.Theperiodicityofstatisticstakesintoaccountuserrequirementsasmuchaspossible(ECoP). 8.13.Astandarddaytimeforthereleaseofstatisticsismadepublic.(ECoP) 8.14.Preliminaryresultsofacceptableaggregateaccuracyarereleasedwhenconsidereduseful.(ECoP)  Coherenceandcomparability 8.15.Officialstatisticsareconsistentwithindatasets(i.e.elementarydataarebasedoncomparableconcepts,definitionsandclassificationsandcanbemeaningfullycombined),acrossdatasets(i.e.dataarebasedoncommonconcepts,units,definitionsandclassifications,orthatanydifferencesareexplainedandcanbeallowedfor)andovertime(i.e.dataarebasedoncommonconcepts,definitions,units,classifications,andmethodologyovertime,orthatanydifferencesareexplainedandcanbeallowedfor). 8.16.Statisticsfromthedifferentsourcesandofdifferentperiodicityarecomparedandreconciled(ECoP). 8.17.Statisticsarecompiledaccordingtocommonstandardswithrespecttoscope,definitions,classifications,andunitsinthedifferentsurveysandsources.(ECoP)  Relevance 8.18.Processesareinplacetoconsultusers,monitortherelevanceandutilityofexistingstatisticsinmeetingtheirneeds,andconsidertheiremergingneedsandpriorities.(ECoP) 8.19.Usersatisfactionsurveysareundertakenonaregularbasis.Theresultsarepubliclyreleasedandconsideredasaninputfordecisionsaboutplansandprioritiesandtheyarereflectedinthestatisticalworkprogrammes.  9.Ensureuser-friendlydataaccessanddissemination 9.Ensureuser-friendlydataaccessanddissemination, sothatstatisticsarepresentedinaclearandunderstandableform,releasedinasuitableandconvenientmanner,includinginmachine-readableform(‘opendata’),canbefoundeasily,andareavailableandaccessibleonanimpartialbasiswithsupportingmetadataandguidance.Thisalsoentailsacommitmenttorespondtomajormisinterpretationsofdatabyusers. Goodpractices 9.1.Statisticalinformationisavailablethroughdifferentdisseminationtools,includingmediachannels,Internet,onlinedatabaseandpaperpublicationsandeasilydownloadableindifferentformats. 9.2.Adisseminationpolicyensuresthefreedisseminationofofficialstatistics. 9.3.Inordertoensureequalaccesstonationalstatisticsforinternationalusers,English-languagestatisticalinformation(dataandmetadata)isavailableonwebsitesofNationalStatisticalAuthorities. 9.4.Acorporatestrategyandappropriateguidelinesareinplaceforthepreparationofstatisticalpublications(paperandelectronic).  9.5.Acorporatedatabaseandglossariespromotetheuseofstandardstatisticalconceptsanddefinitions. 9.6.Usersarekeptinformedaboutthemethodologyofstatisticalprocessesincludingtheuseofadministrativedata(ECoP). 9.7.Metadataaredocumentedaccordingtostandardisedmetadatasystems(ECoP).  9.8.Acorporatestrategyandappropriateguidelinesareinplaceforthepreparationanddisseminationofmetadataonconcepts,scope,classifications,basisofrecording,datasources,statisticaltechniques,differencesfrominternationallyacceptedstandards,annotationofgoodpractices,geographicalcoverage,etc. 9.9.Processesensurethatsamplingandnon-samplingerrorsaremeasuredandsystematicallydocumentedandthatinformationismadeavailabletousersforallkeystatisticaloutputs. 9.10.Internalguidelinesareavailableinstatisticalagenciesonrespondingtoerroneouscomments.Theseguidelinesarewellknownbystaff. 9.11.Accesstomicro-dataisallowedforresearchpurposesandissubjecttospecificrulesorprotocols(ECoP). 9.12.Whereapricingpolicyexistsforspecificservicesorcustom-designedproducts,conditionsofsaleareclearlycommunicated. 9.13.Educationalmaterialisdevelopedwiththeaimtoenhancetheuseofofficialstatisticsandtoavoidtheirmisuseandmisinterpretation. 9.14.Officialstatisticsarereleasedinmachine-readableform(‘opendata’)thatencouragereuseandanalyses. 10.Establishresponsibilitiesforco-ordinationofstatisticalactivitieswithintheNSS 10.Establishresponsibilitiesforco-ordinationofstatisticalactivitieswithintheNSS Tothisend,Adherentsshouldensurethat: i)   theco-ordinationofstatisticalactivitiesamongstatisticalproducersisdonethroughtheuseofstandardconceptsandclassificationsandavoidstheduplicationofeffort; ii)     responsibilitiesforsuchco-ordinationfunctionareclearlylaidoutandanchoredinstatisticallegislation. Goodpractices: 10.1.Theroleandresponsibilitiesofallproducersofstatisticsareclearlydeterminedbylaw.Aco-ordinatoroftheNSS,suchastheNSO,isalsodesignatedbylaw. 10.2.Thedesignatedco-ordinatorhasresponsibilitytoco-ordinatethestatisticalactivitiesofofficialproducersintheNSSandtorepresenttheNSSasawhole.Thisconcernsinparticulartheuseofappropriatestatisticalconceptsandprocedures,theimplementationofinternationalstandardsandeffortstominimiseduplicationsindatacollection,productionanddisseminationofofficialstatistics. 10.3.Procedures,mechanisms,tools,guidelines,oragreementsareinplacetoensureeffectiveco-ordinationwithintheNSS.Proceduresinclude: Establishmentofanationalstatisticsplan; Co-ordinateddatadissemination,e.g.throughasingledataportal; Assistancewithimplementationofinternationalstandardsandclassification;and Commonqualitymanagementprocesses. 10.4.Exchangeofstatisticalinformationbetweenstatisticalagenciesisactivelyundertaken.  11.Committointernationalco-operation 11.Committointernationalcooperation. Tothisend,Adherentsshould: i)   encouragestatisticalproducerstoachievecommongoalsinstatisticsjointlywiththestatisticalproducersinothercountriesandwithinternationalorganisations,withaviewtodevelopinginternationallycomparablestatistics,todesigninginternationalstandardsandtoexchanginginformationongoodpractice. ii)     providethenecessarydatafortheOECD’sreportingsystemandanalyticalwork,incompliancewithinternationalstatisticalstandardsasrecognisedbytheOECDandpreferablyusingtheStatisticalDataandMetadataeXchangemethod/standardinparticularfordomainswithinternationallyagreedDataStructureDefinitions(DSDs). Goodpractices: 11.1.Nationalstatisticiansparticipateactivelyandregularlyininternationalexpertgroups,conferencesandworkshops. 11.2.NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesparticipateinjointprojectswithothercountriestosharedevelopmentburden. 11.3.HeadsofNSOsortheirstaffchairinternationalstatisticalbodies. 11.4.NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesparticipateinthemaininternationalstatisticalforatoexchangeontheirstatisticalpractices,toparticipateinresearchandconceptualworkandtocontributeactivelytothedefinitionanddesignofinternationalnormsandstatisticalstandards. 11.5.Accesstomicro-databyinternationalorganisationsisexploredasameanstoreducetheburdenofcountriesrespondingtoquestionnaires. 11.6.NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesprovidecompleteandtimelyanswerstothequestionnairesofinternationalorganisations. 11.7.ProducersofofficialstatisticsusemodernstatisticalandITtools,suchasSDMXfortheregulartransmissionofdataandmetadatatointernationalorganisations,notablytheOECD 12.Encourageexploringinnovativemethodsaswellasnewandalternativedatasources 12.Encourageexploringinnovativemethodsaswellasnewandalternativedatasourcesasinputsforofficialstatistics, andinparticularencouragestatisticalagenciestoactivelyexplorepossibilitiestousenewdatasources(includinglargedatasetsownedbytheprivatesector),ortocombineexistingandnewdatasourcesasinputforofficialstatistics.Atthesametime,theseopportunitiesareweightedagainstthelimitsofusingmoderninformationtechnologiesandtheneedtomaintainthequalityofofficialstatistics. 12.1.NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesactivelyencourageandundertakeresearchonnewsourcesandnewmethodsforofficialstatistics,includingintheprivatesectorandthroughcombinationofexistingsources. 12.2.NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesdevelopmethodologicalworkandITstructuretoensurethequalityofofficialstatisticswhennewandalternativedatasourcesareusedasinput. 12.3.Anexplicitpolicyisformulatedtowardstheuseof“BigData[1]”andprivatedatathatconsiderslegal,technicalandmethodologicalimplications. 12.4.Implicationsforstatisticalinfrastructure,statisticalmethods,andanalyticaltoolsaresystematicallyassessed. 12.5.Thereareexplicitagreementsbetweenproducersofofficialstatisticsandownersofprivatedata;andlegislationwhichregulateaccesstothisinformationanddealwithprivacyissues. 12.6.NationalStatisticalAuthoritiesparticipateinthedevelopmentofcapabilitiestoprocessgeospatialdata.      1. Bigdatarefertodatasourcesthatcanbegenerallydescribedashighvolume,velocity,andvarietyofdatathatdemandcost-effective,innovativeformsofprocessingforenhancedinsightanddecisionmaking