The RAIRD Information Model: Annexes
Version 1.0
Jenny Linnerud, SSB and Arofan Gregory, MTNA
Annex A: Glossary
Annex B: RIM, Statistics Norway's Business Process Model (SNBPM), and the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM)
I. Introduction
II. RAIRD and the Statistical Production Process
III. "Statistics as a Service" – a Different Paradigm
IV. The Researcher in Statistics Norway's Business Process Model
V. Describing RAIRD Functions with the NSBPM
Annex C: Technical Overview of RIM Information Flows and GSIM
Annex D: Technical Considerations of Mapping RIM to DDI
References
Annex A: Glossary
Model |
Object |
Group |
Definition |
Explanatory Text |
Synonyms |
RIM v1.0 |
Access |
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The terms and conditions agreed between the provider of confidential data and the Research Institution allowing access to data. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Access Request |
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A request to obtain access to confidential data. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Accreditation Request |
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An official statement asking to be approved as a Research Institution whose members may access confidential data in some form for research purposes. |
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GSIM |
Base |
A placeholder for extensions to the model based on an organization's administrative needs. |
The Administrative Details object is designed to act as a 'placeholder' to allow for future extensions to the existing model. It allows for further information to be added about the administrative details required to maintain the other objects outlined by GSIM. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
A source of administrative information which is obtained from an external organization (or sometimes from another department of the same organization) |
The Administrative Register is a source of administrative information obtained from external organizations. The Administrative Register would be provided under a Provision Agreement with the supplying organization. This administrative information is usually collected for an organization's operational purposes, rather than for statistical purposes. |
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GSIM |
Base |
An actor that performs a role in relation to the statistical Business Process. |
An Agent may be either an Organization or an Individual. An Organization may be an entire organization or entities within a larger organization, such as departments or divisions. An Organization may have sub Agents, which may be either other Organizations within the parent Organization or Individuals that belong to that Organization. |
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GSIM |
Base |
The function or activities of an Agent, in regard to their involvement in the statistical Business Process. |
An Agent Role may apply to either type of Agent - an Organization or Individual. A common example would be to identify which individuals or departments within an organization provide administrative data. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Analysis Data Set |
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The data as selected and extracted from the Event History Data Store. |
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GSIM |
Business |
The result of the analysis of the quality and effectiveness of any activity undertaken by a statistical organization and recommendations on how these can be improved. |
An Assessment can be of a variety of types. One example may include a gap analysis, where a current state is determined along with what is needed to reach its target state. Alternately, an Assessment may compare current processes against a set of requirements, for example a new Statistical Need or change in the operating environment. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
The role given to a Represented Variable in the context of a Data Structure, which supplies information other than identification or measures. |
For example the publication status of an observation (e.g. provisional, final, revised) |
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GSIM |
Business |
A proposal for a body of work that will deliver outputs designed to achieve outcomes. A Business Case will provide the reasoning for undertaking a Statistical Support Program to initiate a new Statistical Program Design for an existing Statistical Program, or an entirely new Statistical Program, as well as the details of the change proposed. |
A Business Case is produced as a result of a detailed consideration of a Change Definition. It sets out a plan for how the change described by the Change Definition can be achieved. A Business Case usually comprises various evaluations. The Business Case will specify the stakeholders that are impacted by the Statistical Need or by the different solutions that are required to implement it. |
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GSIM |
Business |
Something an enterprise does, or needs to do, in order to achieve its objectives. |
A Business Function delivers added value from a business point of view. It is delivered by bringing together people, processes and technology (resources), for a specific business purpose. Business Functions answer in a generic sense "What business purpose does this Business Service or Process Step serve?" Through identifying the Business Function associated with each Business Service or Process Step it increases the documentation of the use of the associated Business Services and Process Steps, to enable future reuse. |
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GSIM |
Business |
The set of Process Steps to perform one of more Business Functions to deliver a Statistical Program Cycle or Statistical Support Program. |
For example, a particular Statistical Program Cycle might include several data collection activities, the corresponding editing activities for each collection and the production and dissemination of final outputs. Each of these may be considered separate Business Processes for the Statistical Program Cycle. |
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GSIM |
Business |
A means of performing a Business Function (an ability that an organization possesses, typically expressed in general and high level terms and requiring a combination of organization, people, processes and technology to achieve). |
A Business Service may provide one means of accessing a particular Business Function. The operation of a Business Service will perform one or more Business Processes. The explicitly defined interface of a Business Service can be seen as representing a "service contract". If particular inputs are provided then the service will deliver particular outputs in compliance within specific parameters (for example, within a particular period of time). Note: The interface of a Business Service is not necessarily IT based. For example, a typical postal service will have a number of service interfaces:
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Concept whose role is to extensionally define and measure a characteristic. |
Categories for the Concept of sex include: Male, Female Note: An extensional definition is a description of a Concept by enumerating all of its sub ordinate Concepts under one criterion or sub division. For example - the Noble Gases (in the periodic table) is extensionally defined by the set of elements including Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, Radon. (ISO 1087-1) |
class |
|
GSIM |
Concepts |
An element of a Category Set. |
A type of Node particular to a Category Set type of Node Set. A Category Item contains the meaning of a Category without any associated representation. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A list of Categories |
A Category Set is a type of Node Set which groups Categories through the use of Category Items. The Categories in a Category Set typically have no assigned Designations (Codes). |
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GSIM |
Business |
A structured, well-defined specification for a proposed change. |
A related object - the Statistical Need - is a change expression as it has been received by an organization. A Statistical Need is a raw expression of a proposed change, and is not necessarily well-defined. A Change Definition is created when a Statistical Need is analyzed by an organization, and expresses the raw need in well-defined, structured terms. A Change Definition does not assess the feasibility of the change or propose solutions to deliver the change - this role is satisfied by the Business Case object. The precise structure or organization of a Change Definition can be further specified by rules or standards local to a given organization. It also includes the specific Concepts to be measured and the Population that is under consideration. Once a Statistical Need has been received, the first step is to do the conceptual work to establish what it is we are trying to measure. The final output of this conceptual work is the Change Definition. The next step is to assess how we are going to make the measurements - to design a solution and put forward a proposal for a body of work that will deliver on the requirements of the original Statistical Need |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Classification Family is a group of Classification Series related from a particular point of view. The Classification Family is related by being based on a common Concept (e.g. economic activity). |
Different classification databases may use different types of Classification Families and have different names for the families, as no standard has been agreed upon. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Classification Index is an ordered list (alphabetical, in code order etc.) of Classification Index Entries. A Classification Index can relate to one particular or to several Statistical Classifications. |
A Classification Index shows the relationship between text found in statistical data sources (responses to survey questionnaires, administrative records) and one or more Statistical Classifications. A Classification Index may be used to assign the codes for Classification Items to observations in statistical collections. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Classification Index Entry is a word or a short text (e.g. the name of a locality, an economic activity or an occupational title) describing a type of object/unit or object property to which a Classification Item applies, together with the code of the corresponding Classification Item. Each Classification Index Entry typically refers to one item of the Statistical Classification. Although a Classification Index Entry may be associated with a Classification Item at any Level of a Statistical Classification, Classification Index Entries are normally associated with items at the lowest Level. |
A Classification Item is a subtype of Node. The relationship between Classification Item and Classification Index Entry can also be extended to include the other Node types - Code Item and Category Item. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Classification Item represents a Category at a certain Level within a Statistical Classification. It defines the content and the borders of the Category. A Unit can be classified to one and only one item at each Level of a Statistical Classification. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Classification Series is an ensemble of one or more Statistical Classifications, based on the same concept, and related to each other as versions or updates. Typically, these Statistical Classifications have the same name (for example, ISIC or ISCO). |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Designation for a Category. |
Codes are unique within their Code List. Example: M (Male) F (Female). |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
An element of a Code List. |
A type of Node particular to a Code List type of Node Set. A Code Item combines the meaning of the included Category with a Code representation. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A list of Categories where each Category has a predefined Code assigned to it. |
A kind of Node Set for which the Category contained in each Node has a Code assigned as a Designation. For example:1 - Male2 - Female |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
An alpha-numeric string used to represent a Code. |
A Code Value is a subtype of Sign - a way of denoting the value of a Code. This is a kind of Sign used for Codes. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
Unit of thought differentiated by characteristics. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
Set of Concepts structured by the relations among them. |
Here are 2 examples 1) Concept of Sex: Male, Female, Other 2) ISIC (the list is too long to write down) |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
Set of valid Concepts. |
The Concepts can be described by either enumeration or by an expression. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Corrective Action |
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An action taken to reduce the disclosure risk of a Data Set. |
These actions may include cell suppression, aggregation, techniques for detecting differential disclosure, etc. Transformation of the data is typical of such actions. |
|
GSIM |
Concepts |
A Correspondence Table expresses the relationship between two Statistical Classifications. These are typically: two versions from the same Classification Series; Statistical Classifications from different Classification Series; a variant and the version on which it is based; or, different versions of a variant. In the first and last examples, the Correspondence Table facilitates comparability over time. Correspondence relationships are shown in both directions. |
A Statistical Classification is a subtype of Node Set. The relationship between Statistical Classification and Correspondence Table can also be extended to include the other Node Sets - Code List and Category Set. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Data Catalogue |
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The set of metadata describing the data contained in the Event History Data Store as presented to researchers so they can browse the content of the store. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
A placeholder (or cell) for the value of an Instance Variable |
Field in a Data Structure which corresponds to a cell in a table. The Data Point is structural and distinct from the value (the Datum) that it holds. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
An organized collection of stored information made of one or more Data Sets. |
Data Resources are collections of data that are used by a statistical activity to produce information. Data Resource is a specialization of an Information Resource. |
data source |
|
GSIM |
Structures |
An organized collection of data. |
Examples of Data Sets could be observation registers, time series, longitudinal data, survey data, rectangular data sets, event-history data, tables, data tables, cubes, registers, hypercubes, and matrixes. A broader term for Data Set could be data. A narrower term for Data Set could be data element, data record, cell, field. |
database, data file, file, table |
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GSIM |
Structures |
Defines the structure of an organized collection of data (Data Set). |
The structure is described using Data Structure Components that can be either Attribute Components, Identifier Components or Measure Components. Examples for unit data include social security number, country of residence, age, citizenship, country of birth, where the social security number and the country of residence are both identifying components and the others are measured variables obtained directly or indirectly from the person (Unit). |
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GSIM |
Structures |
The role of the Represented Variable in the context of a Data Structure. |
A Data Structure Component can be an Attribute Component, Measure Component or an Identifier Component. Example of Attribute Component: The publication status of an observation such as provisional, revised. Example of Measure Component: age and height of a person in a Unit Data Set or number of citizens and number of households in a country in a Data Set for multiple countries (Dimensional Data Set). Example of Identifier Component: The personal identification number of a Swedish citizen for unit data or the name of a country in the European Union for dimensional data. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A value. |
A Datum is the actual instance of data that was collected or derived. It is the value which populates a Data Point. A Datum is the value found in a cell of a table. |
value |
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RIM v1.0 |
Datum-Based Data Set |
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A Data Set which records a set of observations specific to time-bound events, for a range of variables, structured according to a Datum-Based Data Structure. |
Each observation could become a single row in the Data Set. Each row would then have a value for which a Unit identifier, a variable reference (indicating the type of event), and an Event Period are recorded. |
|
RIM v1.0 |
Datum-Based Data Structure |
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The description of how a Data Set is arranged, in which a set of time-bound events or statuses relative to events are recorded, for a known set of Units. |
For each Unit, one or more event-statuses will be recorded. Each record in the Data Set could identify a Unit, make reference to a variable indicating the event, hold the value of a status, and indicate the point or period in time for which the value is relevant. |
|
GSIM |
Concepts |
A Conceptual Domain defined by an expression. |
For example: All real numbers between 0 and 1. |
Non-enumerated conceptual domain |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Value Domain defined by an expression. |
For example: All real decimal numbers between 0 and 1. |
Non-enumerated value domai |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
The name given to an object for identification. |
The association of a Concept with a Sign that denotes it. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
A placeholder (or cell) for the value of an Instance Variable with respect to either a Unit or Population. |
A Dimensional Data Point is uniquely identified by the combination of exactly one value for each of the dimensions (Identifier Component) and one measure (Measure Component). There may be multiple values for the same Dimensional Data Point that is for the same combination of dimension values and the same measure. The different values represent different versions of the data in the Data Point. Values are only distinguished on the basis of quality, date/time of measurement or calculation, status, etc. This is handled through the mechanisms provided by the Datum information object. |
cell |
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GSIM |
Structures |
A collection of dimensional data that conforms to a known structure. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
Describes the structure of a Dimensional Data Set. |
For example (city, average income, total population) where the city is the Identifier Component and the others are measured variables. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Disclosive Data Point |
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A Data Point which is potentially disclosive on its own. |
Such aspects as the discoverability or sensitivity of the value may make it potentially disclosive. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Disclosive Data Point Combination |
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A combination of Data Points which, when taken together, pose a potential disclosure risk. |
The Data Points by themselves could be disclosive or non-disclosive. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Disclosure Control Rule |
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A Rule based on a Process Method which determines if a Provisional Output is disclosive. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Disclosure Risk Assessment |
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The level of disclosure risk, determined by an assessment of both the assigned risk factors and those arising from the data taken in context. |
Assigned risk factors are attributes of the data such as discoverability or sensitivity; contextual factors are attributes such as skewness or granularity. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Conceptual Domain expressed as a list of Categories |
For instance, the Sex Categories: 'Male' and 'Female' |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Value Domain expressed as a list of Categories and associated Codes. |
Example - Sex Codes <m, male>; <f, female>; <o, other>. |
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GSIM |
Business |
A requirement for change that originates from a change in the operating environment of the statistical organization. |
An Environment Change reflects change in the context in which a statistical organization operates. Environment Changes can be of different origins and also take different forms. They can result from a precise event (budget cut, new legislation enforced) or from a progressive process (technical or methodological progress, application or tool obsolescence). Other examples of Environment Changes include the availability of a new Information Resource, the opportunity for new collaboration between organizations, etc. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Event History Data Store |
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A system which provides access to a set of Event History data, structured according to a Datum-Based Data Structure. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Event History Input Data Set |
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The data which is loaded into an Event History Data Store. |
Typically, this will be structured according to a Datum-Based Data Structure; it is accompanied by an Input Metadata Set for load into the Event History Data Store. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Event Period |
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The point of time at which an event occurs, or the period of time during which the status of a Unit persists in regards to that event. |
If an event or status is observed at a single point in time, then that point in time is the event period. When a change in status occurs, an end-time is recorded, and a new event status begins. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
A means of exchanging data. |
An abstract object that describes the means to receive (data collection) or send (dissemination) information. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Final Output |
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Result of analysis on the Analysis Data Set that has been subject to disclosure control, and is deemed safe to be viewed and published by a researcher. |
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GSIM |
Base |
An abstract class that comprises the basic attributes and associations needed for identification, naming and other documentation. |
An instance of any GSIM information object is an Identifiable Artifact. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
The role given to a Represented Variable in the context of a Data Structure to identify the unit in an organized collection of data. |
An Identifier Component is a sub-type of Data Structure Component. The personal identification number of a Swedish citizen for unit data or the name of a country in the European Union for dimensional data. |
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GSIM |
Base |
A person who acts, or is designated to act towards a specific purpose. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
A person or organization that consumes disseminated data. |
The Information Consumer accesses a set of information via a Product (or potentially via another Exchange Channel), which contains one or more Presentations. The Information Consumer's access to the information is subject to a Provision Agreement, which sets out conditions of access. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
An Individual or Organization that provides collected information. |
An Information Provider possesses sets of information (that it has generated, collected, produced, bought or otherwise acquired) and is willing to supply that information (data or referential metadata) to the statistical office. The two parties use a Provision Agreement to agree the Data Structure and Referential Metadata Structure of the data to be exchanged via an Exchange Channel. |
information supplier, data supplier |
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GSIM |
Business |
An outline of a need for new information required for a particular purpose. |
An Information Request is a special case of Statistical Need that may come in an organized form, for example by specifying on which Subject Field the information is required. It may also be a more general request and require refinement by the statistical agency and formalized in a Change Definition. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
An abstract notion that is any organized collection of information. |
There currently are only two concrete sub classes: Data Resource and Referential Metadata Resource. The Information Resource allows the model to be extended to other types of resource. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
Organized collections of statistical content. |
Statistical organizations collect, process, analyze and disseminate Information Sets, which contain data (Data Sets), referential metadata (Referential Metadata Sets), or potentially other types of statistical content, which could be included in addition types of Information Set. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Input Metadata Set |
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The set of metadata needed to fully document and describe the structure of an Event History Input Data Set. |
The metadata consists of Concepts, Codelists and Statistical Classifications, variable descriptions, and higher-level metadata regarding how the accompanying data can be used by researchers. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
The use of a Question in a particular Questionnaire. |
The Instance Question is the use of a Question in a particular Questionnaire Component. This also includes the use of the Question in a Question Block, which is a particular type of Questionnaire Component. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
The use of a Question Block in a particular Questionnaire. |
The Instance Question Block is the use of a Question Block in a particular Questionnaire Component. This also includes the use of a Question Block in another Question Block, as it is a particular type of Questionnaire Component. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
The use of a Statement in a particular Questionnaire. |
The Instance Statement is the use of a Statement in a particular Questionnaire Component. This also includes the use of the Statement in a Question Block, which is a particular type of Questionnaire Component. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
The use of a Represented Variable within a Data Set. It may include information about the source of the data. |
The Instance Variable is used to describe actual instances of data that have been collected. Here are 3 examples:1) Gender: Dan Gillman has gender <m, male>, Arofan Gregory has gender<m, male>, etc.2) Number of employees: Microsoft has 90,000 employees; IBM has 433,000 employees, etc.3) Endowment: Johns Hopkins has endowment of <3, $1,000,000 and above>,Yale has endowment of <3, $1,000,000 and above>, etc. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Statistical Classification has a structure which is composed of one or several Levels. A Level often is associated with a Concept, which defines it. In a hierarchical classification the Classification Items of each Level but the highest are aggregated to the nearest higher Level. A linear classification has only one Level. |
A Statistical Classification is a subtype of Node Set. The relationship between Statistical Classification and Level can also be extended to include the other Node Set types - Code List and Category Set. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
Describes a type of Unit Data Record for one Unit Type within a Unit Data Set. |
Examples: household, person or dwelling record. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Map is an expression of the relation between a Classification Item in a source Statistical Classification and a corresponding Classification Item in the target Statistical Classification. The Map should specify whether the relationship between the two Classification Items is partial or complete. Depending on the relationship type of the Correspondence Table, there may be several Maps for a single source or target item. |
The use of Correspondence Tables and Maps can be extended to include all types of Node and Node Set. This means that a Correspondence Table could map between the items of Statistical Classifications, Code Lists or Category Sets. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
The role given to a Represented Variable in the context of a Data Structure to hold the observed/derived values for a particular Unit in an organized collection of data. |
A Measure Component is a sub-type of Data Structure Component. For example age and height of a person in a Unit Data Set or number of citizens and number of households in a country in a Data Set for multiple countries (Dimensional Data Set). |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A combination of a Category and related attributes. |
A Node is created as a Category, Code or Classification Item for the purpose of defining the situation in which the Category is being used. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A set of Nodes. |
Node Set is a kind of Concept System. Here are 2 examples: 1) Sex Categories
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RIM v1.0 |
Nondisclosive Data Point |
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A Data Point which is not by itself potentially disclosive. |
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GSIM |
Base |
A unique framework of authority within which a person or persons act, or are designated to act, towards some purpose. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
Defines how Information Sets consumed by a Product are presented to Information Consumers. |
The Output Specification specifies Products and defines the Presentations they contain. The Output Specification may be fully defined during the design process (such as in a paper publication or a predefined web report), or may be a combination of designed specification supplemented by user selections (such as in an online data query tool). |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
The total membership of a defined class of people, objects or events. |
A population is used to describe the total membership of a group of people, objects or events based on characteristics, e.g. time and geographic boundaries. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
The way data and referential metadata are presented in a Product. |
A Product has one or more Presentations, which present data and referential metadata from Information Sets. A Presentation is defined by an Output Specification. Presentation can be in different forms; e.g. tables, graphs, structured data files.Examples:
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GSIM |
Business |
A set of decision points which determine the flow between the Process Steps used to perform a Business Process. |
The typical use of Process Control is to determine what happens next after a Process Step is executed. The possible paths, and the decision criteria, associated with a Process Control are specified as part of designing a production process, captured in a Process Control Design. There is typically a very close relationship between the design of a process and the design of a Process Control. |
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GSIM |
Business |
The specification of the decision points required during the execution of a Business Process. |
The design of a Process Control typically takes place as part of the design of the process itself. This involves determining the conditional routing between the various sub-processes and services used by the executing process associated with the Process Control and specified by the Process Control Design. It is possible to define a Process Control where the next step in the Process Step that will be executed is a fixed value rather than a "choice" between two or more possibilities. Where such a design would be appropriate, this feature allows, for example, initiation of a step in the Process Step representing the GSBPM Process Phase (5) to always lead to initiation of GSBPM sub-process Integrate Data (5.1) as the next step. This allows a process designer to divide a Business Process into logical steps (for example, where each step performs a specific Business Function through re-use of a Business Service) even if these process GSIM |
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GSIM |
Business |
The specification of how a Process Step will be performed. This includes specifying the types of Process Inputs required and the type of Process Outputs that will be produced. |
A Process Design is the design time specification of a Process Step that is performed as part of a run-time Business Service. A Process Step can be as big or small as the designer of a particular Business Service chooses. From a design perspective, one Process Step can contain "sub-steps", each of which is conceptualized as a (smaller) Process Step in its own right. Each of those "sub-steps" may contain "sub-steps" within them and so on indefinitely. It is a decision for the process designer to what extent to subdivide steps. At some level it will be appropriate to consider a Process Step to be a discrete task (unit of work) without warranting further subdivision. At that level the Process Step is designed to process particular Process Inputs, according to a particular Process Method, to produce particular Process Outputs. The flow between a Process Step and any sub steps is managed via Process Control. |
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GSIM |
Business |
Any instance of an information object which is supplied to a Process Step Instance at the time its execution is initiated. |
Process Input might include information that is used as an input that will be transformed (e.g. a Data Set), information that is used to control specific parameters of the process (e.g. a Rule), and information that is used as reference to guide the process (e.g. a Code List). |
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GSIM |
Business |
A record of the types of inputs required for a Process Design. |
The Process Input Specification enumerates the Process Inputs required at the time a Process Design is executed. For example, if five different Process Inputs are required, the Process Input Specification will describe each of the five inputs. For each required Process Input the Process Input Specification will record the type of information object (based on GSIM) which will be used as the Process Input (example types might be a Dimensional Data Set or a Classification). The Process Input to be provided at the time of Process Step execution will then be a specific instance of the type of information object specified by the Process Input Specification. For example, if a Process Input Specification requires a Dimensional Data Set then the corresponding Process Input provided at the time of Process Step execution will be a particular Dimensional Data Set. |
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GSIM |
Business |
A specification of the technique which will be used to perform the unit of work. |
The technique specified by a Process Method is independent from any choice of technologies and/or other tools which will be used to apply that technique in a particular instance. The definition of the technique may, however, intrinsically require the application of specific Rules (for example, mathematical or logical formulas). A Process Method describes a particular method for performing a Process Step. |
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GSIM |
Business |
Any instance of an information object which is produced by a Process Step as a result of its execution. |
Process Outputs have an attribute of Process Output Type, which has two possible values:
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GSIM |
Business |
A record of the types of outputs required for a Process Design. |
The Process Output Specification enumerates the Process Outputs that are expected to be produced at the time a Process Design is executed. For example, if five different Process Outputs expected, the Process Output Specification will describe each of the five outputs. For each expected Process Output the Process Output Specification will record the type of information object (based on GSIM) which will be used as the Process Output (Example types might be a Dimensional Data Set or a Classification). The Process Output to be provided at the time of Process Step execution will then be a specific instance of the type of information object specified by the Process Output Specification. For example, if a Process Output Specification expects a Dimensional Data Set then the corresponding Process Output provided at the time of Process Step execution will be a particular Dimensional Data Set. |
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GSIM |
Business |
A nominated set of Process Designs, and associated Process Control Designs (flow), which have been highlighted for possible reuse. |
In a particular Business Process, some Process Steps may be unique to that Business Process while others may be applicable to other Business Processes. A Process Pattern can be seen as a reusable template. It is a means to accelerate design processes and to achieve sharing and reuse of design patterns which have proved effective. Reuse of Process Patterns can indicate the possibility to reuse related Business Services. |
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GSIM |
Business |
A Process Step is a work package that performs a Business Process. A Process Step implements the Process Step Design specified in order to produce the outputs for which the Process Step was designed. |
Each Process Step is the use of a Process Step Design in a particular context (e.g. within a specific Business Process). At the time of execution a Process Step Instance specifies the actual instances of input objects (for example, specific Data Sets, specific Variables) to be supplied. |
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GSIM |
Business |
An executed step in a Business Process. A Process Step Instance specifies the actual inputs to and outputs from for an occurrence of a Process Step. |
Each Process Step is the use of a Process Step Design in a particular context (e.g. within a specific Business Process). At the time of execution a Process Step Instance specifies the actual instances of input objects (for example, specific Data Sets, specific Variables) to be supplied. Each Process Step Instance may produce unique results even though the Process Step remains constant. Even when the inputs remain the same, metrics such as the elapsed time to complete execution of process step may vary from execution to execution. For this reason, each Process Step Instance details of inputs and outputs for that instance of implementing the Process Step. In this way it is possible to trace the flow of execution of a Business Process through all the Process Steps which were involved. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
A package of content that can be disseminated as a whole. |
A Product is the only defined type of Exchange Channel for outgoing information. A Product packages Presentations of Information Sets for an Information Consumer. The Product and its Presentations are generated according to Output Specifications, which define how the information from the Information Sets it consumes are presented to the Information Consumer. The Protocol for a Product determines the mechanism by which the Product is disseminated (e.g. website, SDMX web service, paper publication). |
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RIM v1.0 |
Project |
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A collaborative enterprise, involving research, which is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Project Profile |
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A set of information used to administer a Project. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
The mechanism for exchanging information through an Exchange Channel. |
A Protocol specifies the mechanism (e.g. SDMX web service, data file exchange, web robot, face to face interview, mailed paper form) of exchanging information through an Exchange Channel. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
The legal or other basis by which two parties agree to exchange data. |
A Provision Agreement between the statistical organization and the Information Provider (collection) or the Information Consumer (dissemination) governs the use of Exchange Channels. The Provision Agreement, which may be explicitly or implicitly agreed, provides the legal or other basis by which the two parties agree to exchange data. The parties also use the Provision Agreement to agree the Data Structure and Referential Metadata Structure of the information to be exchanged. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Provisional Output |
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The product of the analysis of an Analysis Data Set by a researcher, which is submitted for finalization. |
If the Provisional Output passes disclosure control, it becomes a Final Output and may be published. Otherwise, it may be subjected to Corrective Actions to reduce the risk of disclosure. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
Describes the text used to elicit a response for the Concept to be measured. |
A Question may be a single question used to obtain a response, or may be a multiple question, a construct which links multiple sub-questions, each with their own response. |
Multiple Question |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
A set of Questions, Statements or instructions which are used together. |
A Question Block should be designed for reuse, as it can be used in multiple Questionnaires. The Question Block is a type of Questionnaire Component. A statistical organization will often have a number of Question Blocks which they reuse in a number of Questionnaires. Examples of Question Blocks include:
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Question Module |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
A concrete and usable tool to elicit information from observation units. |
This is an example of a way statistical organizations collect information (an exchange channel). Each mode should be interpreted as a new Questionnaire derived from the Questionnaire Specification. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
A record of the flow of a Questionnaire Specification and its use of Questions, Question Blocks and Statements |
Defines the structure of the Questionnaire Specification, as a combination of Questions, Question Blocks and Statements. It is the object which groups together all the components of a Questionnaire. |
Question Block |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
Governs the sequence of Questions, Question Blocks and Statements based on factors such as the current location, the response to the previous questions etc., invoking navigation and validation rules to apply. |
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Routing |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
The tool designed to elicit information from observation Units. |
This represents the complete questionnaire design, with a relationship to the top level Questionnaire Component. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
Describes relationships between Logical Records within a Unit Data Structure. It must have both a source Logical Record and a target Logical Record in order to define the relationship. |
Example: Relationship between person and household Logical Records within a Unit Data Set. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
The role given to a Represented Variable to supply information in the context of a Referential Metadata Structure. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
The content describing a particular characteristic of a Referential Metadata Subject. |
A Referential Metadata Content Item contains the actual content describing a particular characteristic of a Referential Metadata Subject. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
An organized collection of stored information consisting of one or more Referential Metadata Sets. |
Referential Metadata Resources are collections of structured information that may be used by a statistical activity to produce information. This information object is a specialization of an Information Resource. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
An organized collection of referential metadata for a given Referential Metadata Subject. |
Referential Metadata Sets organize referential metadata. Each Referential Metadata Set uses a Referential Metadata Structure to define a structured list of Referential Metadata Attributes for a given Referential Metadata Subject. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
Defines the structure of an organized collection of referential metadata (Referential Metadata Set). |
A Referential Metadata Structure defines a structured list of Referential Metadata Attributes for a given Referential Metadata Subject. |
Metadata Structure Definition |
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GSIM |
Structures |
Identifies the subject of an organized collection of referential metadata. |
The Referential Metadata Subject identifies the subject of the metadata that can be reported using this Referential Metadata Structure. These subjects may be any GSIM object type, or any Data Point or set of Data Points created from a specific Data Structure. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
Identifies the actual subject for which referential metadata is reported. |
Examples are an actual Product such as Balance of Payments and International Investment Position, Australia, June 2013, or a collection of Data Points such as the Data Points for a single region within a Data Set covering all regions for a country. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Refusal Rationale |
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The official reason provided for denying a Research Institution accreditation or for denying a Project access to confidential data. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Relationship |
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The connection between two Units, of a specified type. |
The Relationship object represents the connection of two units, for example marriage, employment, etc. It is sometimes seen in a real form (a civil contract in the case of marriage, or an employment contract in the case of an employer-employee relationship), but this is not always the case. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A combination of a characteristic of a population to be measured and how that measure will be represented. |
Example: The pair (Number of Employees, Integer), where "Number of Employees" is the characteristic of the population (Variable) and "Integer" is how that measure will be represented (Value Domain). |
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RIM v1.0 |
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This is a trivial extension of Represented Variable created for the purpose of adding disclosure control attributes, in particular sensitivity |
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RIM v1.0 |
Research Institution |
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An institution which conducts research. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Research Publication |
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A published document which answers a research question based on an analysis of data. |
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RIM v1.0 |
Researcher |
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A post holder with a research title or other academic/scientific personnel at approved research units, and students studying for a masters degree or PhD, and post graduates provided that these are under the supervision of a qualified researcher at such a research unit. |
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GSIM |
Business |
A specific mathematical or logical expression which can be evaluated to determine specific behavior. |
Rules are of several types: they may be derived from methods to determine the control flow of a process when it is being designed and executed; they may be used as the input parameters of processes (e.g., imputation rules, edit rules); and they may be used to drive the logical flow of a questionnaire. There are many forms of Rules and their purpose, character and expression can vary greatly. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
Maps a web scraping process to a specific website. |
Scraping Process Map is an essential element of the Web Scraper Channel. The process being mapped can be a Business Service or a Process Step. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
Something that suggests the presence or existence of a fact, condition, or quality. |
It is a perceivable object. This object is used to denote a Concept as a Designation. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
A report of facts in a Questionnaire |
Statements are often included to provide further explanation to respondents. Example: "The following questions are about your health". |
Interviewer Instruction |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Statistical Classification is a set of Categories which may be assigned to one or more variables registered in statistical surveys or administrative files, and used in the production and dissemination of statistics. The Categories at each Level of the classification structure must be mutually exclusive and jointly exhaustive of all objects/units in the population of interest. |
The Categories are defined with reference to one or more characteristics of a particular population of units of observation. A Statistical Classification may have a flat, linear structure or may be hierarchically structured, such that all Categories at lower Levels are sub-Categories of Categories at the next Level up. Categories in Statistical Classifications are represented in the information model as Classification Items. |
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GSIM |
Business |
A requirement, request or other notification that will be considered by an organization. A Statistical Need does not necessarily have structure or format - it is a 'raw' need as received by the organization. A Statistical Need may be of a variety of types including Environmental Change or Information Request. |
The Statistical Need is a proposed or imposed requirement, request or other notification as it has been received by an organization. A Statistical Need is a raw expression of a requirement, and is not necessarily well-defined. A related object - Change Definition - is created when a Statistical Need is analyzed by an organization. Change Definition expresses the raw need in well-defined, structured terms.Once a Statistical Need has been received, the first step is to do the conceptual work to establish what it is we are trying to measure. The final output of this conceptual work is the Change Definition. In some cases, the Statistical Need can result from the Assessment of the quality, efficiency, etc. of an existing process. |
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GSIM |
Business |
A set of activities, which may be repeated, that describes the purpose and context of a set of Business Process within the context of the relevant Statistical Program Cycles. |
The Statistical Program is one of a family of objects that provide the environmental context in which activities to produce statistics within a statistical organization are conducted. Statistical Program is the top level object that describes the purpose and objectives of a set of activities. Statistical Program will usually correspond to an ongoing activity such as a survey or output series. Some examples of Statistical Program are:
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|
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GSIM |
Business |
A set of activities to investigate characteristics of a given Population for a particular reference period. |
A Statistical Program Cycle documents the execution of an iteration of a Statistical Program according to the associated Statistical Program Design for a certain reference period. It identifies the activities that are undertaken as a part of the cycle and the specific resources required and processes used and description of relevant methodological information used in this cycle defined by the Statistical Program Design. |
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GSIM |
Business |
The specification of the resources required, processes used and description of relevant methodological information about the set of activities undertaken to investigate characteristics of a given Population. |
The Statistical Program Design is an objects that provide the operational context in which a set of Business Processes is conducted. A simple example is where a Statistical Program relates to a single survey, for example, the Labour Force Survey. The Statistical Program will have a series of Statistical Program Design objects that describe the methodology and design used throughout the life of the survey. When a methodological change is made to the survey, a new Statistical Program Design is created to record the details of the new design. |
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GSIM |
Business |
A program which is not related to the post-design cyclic production of statistical products, but is necessary to support cyclical production. |
This type of program will include such functions as metadata management, data management, methodological research, and design functions. These programs correspond to the horizontal functions shown in the GSBPM, as well as programs to create new or change existing Statistical Programs. |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
One or more Concept Systems used for the grouping of Concepts and Categories for the production of statistics. |
A Subject Field is a field of special knowledge under which a set of Concepts and their Designations is used. For example, labour market, environmental expenditure, tourism, etc. |
subject area, theme |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
The object of interest in a Business Process |
Here are 3 examples - 1. Individual US person (i.e., Arofan Gregory, Dan Gillman, Barack Obama, etc.) 2. Individual US computer companies (i.e., Microsoft, Apple, IBM, etc.) 3. Individual US universities (i.e., Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, Yale, etc.) |
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GSIM |
Structures |
A placeholder (or cell) for the value of an Instance Variable with respect to a Unit. |
This placeholder may point to multiple values representing different versions of the data. Values are only distinguished on the basis of quality, date/time of measurement or calculation, status, etc. This is handled through the mechanisms provided by the Datum information object. |
cell |
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GSIM |
Structures |
Contains the specific values (as a collection of Unit Data Points) related to a given Unit as defined in a Logical Record. |
For example (1212123, 48, American, United Kingdom) specifies the age (48) in years on the 1st of January 2012 in years, the current citizenship (American), and the country of birth (United Kingdom) for a person with social security number 1212123. |
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GSIM |
Structures |
A collection of data that conforms to a known structure and describes aspects of one or more Units. |
Example: A synthetic unit record file is a collection of artificially constructed Unit Data Records, combined in a file to create a Unit Data Set. |
micro data, unit data, synthetic unit record file |
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GSIM |
Structures |
Describes the structure of a Unit Data Set. |
For example (social security number, country of residence, age, citizenship, country of birth) where the social security number and the country of residence are the identifying components (Identifier Component) and the others are measured variables obtained directly or indirectly from the person (Unit) and are Measure Components of the Logical Record. |
file description, dataset description |
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GSIM |
Concepts |
A Unit Type is a class of objects of interest |
A Unit Type is used to describe a class or group of Units based on a single characteristic, but with no specification of time and geography. For example, the Unit Type of "Person" groups together a set of Units based on the characteristic that they are 'Persons'. |
Object class (ISO 11179) |
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GSIM v0.9 |
User Profile |
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A set of information for administering a user within a system supporting research. |
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|
GSIM |
Concepts |
The permitted range of values for a characteristic of a variable |
The values can be described by enumeration or by an expression |
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|
GSIM |
Concepts |
The use of a Concept as a characteristic of a Population intended to be measured |
The Variable combines the meaning of a Concept with a Unit Type, to define the characteristic that is to be measured. |
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GSIM |
Exchange |
A concrete and usable tool to gather information from the Internet. |
This is an example of a way statistical organizations collect information (an Exchange Channel). The Web Scraper Channel contains Scraping Process Maps, which map the channel to each website targeted for scraping. |
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Annex B: RIM, Statistics Norway's Business Process Model (SNBPM), and the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM)
I. Introduction
This section addresses how Statistics Norway's Business Process Model (SNBPM - an implementation of the Generic Statistical Business Process Model [GSBPM]) can be used to describe RAIRD processes. This is a difficult subject, as RAIRD is a non-traditional type of statistical product, where what is delivered to the user is not the collected microdata, nor a set of statistical tables produced by the statistical agency. Instead, the tables provided to users are those which the users themselves produce, using the RAIRD data and tools.
There are two ways in which we can understand RAIRD in the context of the SNBPM. In one sense, the RIM supports many of the functions of the statistical production process, even though many of the functions are performed by researchers and not by the developers or maintainers of RAIRD itself. The diagrams below show how RAIRD can be mapped onto the SNBPM processes and sub-processes.
The second way in which we can use GSBPM to describe RAIRD is to use the process model to highlight what the functions of RAIRD itself are. This is distinct from the production processes which users might carry out in RAIRD. It is a more limited set of functions, which will be described separately.
II. RAIRD and the Statistical Production Process
This document describes how RAIRD changes the traditional process of statistical production, by bringing the consumer of statistical products into the production flow, offering them the ability to better meet their own needs by assuming some of the tasks traditionally carried out within SSB. This change can be seen by showing where, in the traditional process as described by Statistics Norway's Business Process Model, the end-user either participates with or replaces the SSB in performing some functions.
The end-users in question are more statistically literate than typical consumers of statistical products – because they are researchers associated with accredited research institutions, they have a level of skill in terms of working with input data that goes beyond the capabilities of most journalists or policy makers. This is a class of users that also has the most specific demands in terms of the statistical products they wish to see.
RAIRD – by offering the creation of specific statistical products as a service to end-users – represents a different paradigm, in which both SSB and the end users benefit. SSB benefits because the end users assume some of the tasks performed today by SSB staff. Thus, the resources needed to meet the end-users demands are less. For the end users, they now are able to get what they want quicker, based on real-time interactions on a larger set of source data.
III. "Statistics as a Service" – a Different Paradigm
The traditional process of producing statistics at SSB is described by Statistics Norway's Business Process Model. When we look at this model, it shows the process of identifying what statistical products are needed, determining what input data is needed and how it will be collected, performing the data collection, processing the data, analyzing it, and creating and disseminating the desired statistical products. This is an important function for the creation of policy, the conduct of business, for informed political discourse, and for use by citizens.
It is also an expensive process, and one in which some compromises must be made. A statistical office cannot predict exactly the demand for information for every possible end user, nor can it afford to provide information on this scale. Especially for more sophisticated users – researchers – there are likely to be specific statistical products which are not produced. To meet this need, SSB has a process of allowing qualified researchers access to the input data for research purposes. Because the input data are often highly confidential, there is a long process through which researchers prove that they are qualified to see the data, and negotiate with SSB to determine exactly what data they can be provided with. In some cases, a subset of the input data is made available to answer a specific research question. In other cases, special statistical products – customized tables – are provided to researchers.
RAIRD promises to change this situation, by providing access to an important source of data for researchers – the FD-Trygd. This is integrated data taken from five different registers. It contains data about the entire population of Norway, and covers topics which are of great interest to researchers in the social and economic domains. It is also very sensitive, because of the type of data it contains.
The level of access provided to researchers by RAIRD is not what they will get if they are willing to go through the lengthy process of applying for direct access to some subset of the FD-Trygd data. In RAIRD, the researchers will never see the actual data – only statistical products created from it. This is made possible because SSB – instead of performing the work of creating the statistical products – is providing a service to researchers so that they can create their own specialized statistical products. This lowers the risk of disclosure, and thus allows for increased user access to the data. Instead of working with just a subset of the data, users can operate on the entire set of variables, using the RAIRD analysis services.
To understand how this is possible, we can examine who now performs each step of the statistical production process: in order to preserve the confidentiality of the data, some functions are permitted to be performed by users, while others are not.
IV. The Researcher in Statistics Norway's Business Process Model
In the diagram below we see the high-level view of Statistics Norway's Business Process Model. It has been color-coded such that those process steps and sub-steps colored blue are performed entirely by SSB – the steps and sub-steps colored green are either completely performed by the researcher, or are performed by the researcher working together with SSB.
Figure 1: RAIRD support for the high-level SNBPM steps.
Each process step will be described in more detail below, but some general comments can be made. In the early phases of the process, where the specific statistical products are designed, the researcher performs much of this work. They are the ones organizing their own research projects, identifying their research questions, etc. Steps 3 and 4 – "Build" and "Collect" have been performed by SSB in developing and deploying RAIRD itself, and the register data is loaded into the system by SSB – the researchers do not perform any system development or data collection. When it comes to steps 5 and 6, "Process" and "Analyse", almost all of the work after data editing is performed by the researcher. RAIRD does not provide a capacity for researchers to edit the data, although they can do recoding for the purposes of creating their own statistical products. Step 7, "Dissemination" is mostly handled by the researcher, since this activity involves taking the output of the RAIRD system and using it in a research paper or other publication.
Step 1 -Specify Needs
Figure 2: The SNBPM Specify Needs Step
Researchers will perform most of this work in organizing their research project. The only part of this that researchers do not perform is sub-step 1.2, since there is no requirement for it. The researchers are the ones who have identified RAIRD as containing the data they need for their research.
Step 2 – Develop and Design
Figure 3: SNBPM Develop and Design Step.
The only sub-steps which are performed by the researcher here are those related to the design of their analysis and the statistical product desired. They are given no control over how the data is collected, or the methodology used. This is not a major issue, given that the data are coming from administrative registers.
Step 3 – Build/Step 4 – Collect
In neither of the areas does the researcher participate. The RAIRD system is developed and deployed by SSB, and the ongoing collection of the register data is conducted by them. The confidential nature of the input data is such that this cannot be performed by anyone outside of SSB.
Step 5 – Process
Figure 5: The SNBPM Process Step.
This step is largely performed by the researcher, but their ability to interact with the input data set must be carefully controlled. All of the data editing, and integration is performed by SSB, so that the input data is ready for analysis by the researcher using the RAIRD service. There are some exceptions to this: RAIRD will allow researchers to perform re-codes of data – these will not be stored - so that their statistical products can be compared with other data outside of the RAIRD environment. Further, macro-control is possible by performing tabulations and other operations; the derivation of variables will also be permitted, although these derived variables will only be used for the purpose of creating the specific statistical product wanted by the research project – they will not be stored and shared.
Step 6 – Analyse
Figure 6: The SNBPM Analyze Step.
This step is – with one exception – entirely performed by the researchers. That exception is the exercise of disclosure control on the statistical products. RAIRD must control this feature, as it is responsible for guaranteeing the confidentiality of the data. Otherwise, the researchers are going to perform all the "production" functions – the tabulation, quality control, etc. and – as they begin to create their research publications – they will interpret and explain their findings.
Step 7 - Disseminate
Figure 6: The SNBPM Disseminate Step.
Dissemination is the act of publication, so SSB has nothing to do here – the researchers use their own channels to publish their own research.
The two tasks which the researcher does not perform – in fact, no one has to perform in the RAIRD scenario – are the preparation of the statistical products for insertion into the Dissemination Database (these statistical products do not use this dissemination platform) and the management of user queries, as SSB will not receive any.
V. Describing RAIRD Functions with the NSBPM
Of the parts of the production process which are directly offered to researchers through RAIRD, we have a sub-set of the functions which they will need to perform. Many aspects of statistical production do not require support through RAIRD, as these are functions which researchers will do on their own, through existing channels (finalizing the statistical product, for example, equates to publishing a research paper in a peer-reviewed journal or elsewhere – not something RAIRD needs to help researchers do).
From the researcher's perspective, RAIRD functions are limited to the high-level NSBPM steps as shown in the list below:
Step 5: Process
5.1 Classify and code
5.3 Macro-control
5.5 Calculate Weights and derive variables
Step 6: Analyze
6.2 Produce statistics
6.3 Quality assure statistics
6.5 Prepare statistics for dissemination
6.6 Finalize content
Annex C: Technical Overview of RIM Information Flows and GSIM
This annex provides an overview of all the information flows in RIM, showing how these are modeled strictly as information objects, independent of the systems within RAIRD. This includes the connection points with the GSIM model, and how RIM information flows specialize some of the GSIM Data Set and Information Resource objects. (See Figure 1).
Here, we can see that the Input Data Set is a specialized type of GSIM's Referential Metadata Set, and that the accompanying Event History Input Data Set is a RIM Datum-Based Data Set. The Event History Data Store is – from a strict information perspective – both a GSIM Data Resource , as it groups all of the event history data which has been loaded, and a GSIM Referential Metadata Resource. In order to represent this in RIM, we have identified it as a GSIM Information Resource, which is the superclass of both Data Resource and Referential Metadata Resource. In RIM, the Event History Data Store should be understood as having the properties of both of the two sub-classes of the GSIM Information Resource.
The data in the Event History Data Store forms the basis of the Analysis Data Sets, which are expressed for processing as a specialization of the GSIM Unit Data Set. Analysis Data Sets are transformed as the researcher operates on them, so we have a process where one Analysis Data Set potentially goes through several iterations.
Ultimately, the Analysis Data Set will form the basis for the creation of a Provisional Output. We see that the Provisional Output is a specialization of the GSIM Dimensional Data Set. The process of assessing and managing disclosure risk is potentially transformative as well, so we also have the Final Output, which, like the Provisional Output, is a specialization of the GSIM Dimensional Data Set.
For all of the data sets, we can see that they correspond to GSIM Data Structure objects of different types (Datum-Based Data Structure, Unit Data Structure, and Dimensional Data Structure).
Figure 1: RIM Information Flows and Resources
There is another important information flow in the RIM which does not appear in Figure 1 – the Data Catalogue. Figure 2 shows how this is represented as a specialized GSIM Product.
Figure 2: Information Flows in the Data Catalogue
The Data Catalogue information is supplied by the Event History Data Store, which is as mentioned above has several functions, but here is functioning as a Referential Metadata Resource. The Data Catalogue itself is a Product, which would have the other relevant GSIM objects as well (eg, Presentation). The Input Metadata Set is seen as a specialization of the Referential Metadata Set.
Annex D: Technical Considerations of Mapping RIM to DDI
In order to understand how the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) standard can be used to implement RIM, we must first ask "Which parts of RIM require the functionality offered by DDI?" Typically, a standard such as DDI is most relevant where metadata is required in a structured, machine-actionable form. This occurs where metadata (and often the data it describes) are passed from one institution to another.
In the case of RAIRD, this occurs during the load process, where the data collected and cleaned within SSB is passed into the Event History Data Store. DDI documentation might also be useful for describing the Final Outputs delivered to the researchers. Everywhere else, the data and metadata within RAIRD exists within a single implementation environment, where a serialization in XML or similar implementation syntax are generally not needed.
When we consider the requirements for the loading of metadata into the Event History Data Store (the Input Metadata Set) we find that several parts of the RIM could usefully be mapped against DDI:
- Concepts and concept systems, with links to variables and external documentation
- Variable descriptions with labels and definitions
- Pre-assessment values for disclosure control, assigned to variables
- Codelists and classifications
- Links to external documentation
- Unit types and associated logical record structures (which variables are associated with which units)
- Relationships between Unit types
Given this set of information, in the XML syntax of the DDI Lifecycle standard we find the ability to describe almost all of the needed information. The only requirement we see here that DDI Lifecycle does not support is the ability to capture pre-assessment values for disclosure control at the level of the variable – this could be handled with some simple extensions to the standard, however, using the extension mechanism recommended in DDI Lifecycle. (DDI Codebook cannot describe the relationships between unit types, nor the pre-assessment values for disclosure control.)
In most cases, the use of DDI Lifecycle for describing this metadata is obvious: the DDI ConceptScheme can describe concept systems, and links with variables and external documentation are supported (DDI Variables reference Concepts, and DDI OtherMaterials can be linked to DDI Concepts as well). DDI offers a rich description for Variables – for the RIM, this will cover all of the different types of variables (GSIM Variable. Represented Variable, and Instance Variable map to DDI's ConceptualVariable, RepresentedVariable, and Variable constructs, respectively; to support variable-level pre-assessment values, the Data Element construct would need to be extended.)
Codelists and classifications are both present in DDI Lifecycle, and map cleanly to GSIM. Unit Types are associated with Variables in DDI, and the Variables are assembled into Logical Records – these constructs can be used to support the needed description of unit types and record structures. Further, the linkages between unit types can be described in DDI Lifecycle using the RecordRelationship construct.
It should be mentioned that the variable and record descriptions are needed only to the logical level – the load process for the Event History Data Store does not require physical descriptions of the data.
There have been some standard DDI Lifecycle profiles created by UN/ECE for representing GSIM information objects, and these standard prfiles cover almost all of the metadata required for the load process. These can be found at: http://www1.unece.org/stat/platform/display/gsim/DDI+Profiles. These do not cover everything which is needed (especially when it comes to concept systems) but do cover most of the needed constructs from DDI Lifecycle.
For describing the Final Outputs using DDI, we would need to add the physical description of the data and use the DDI Lifecycle NCube construct. This is probably not of value to the researchers, although it might be desireable from the perspective of the organizations archiving the researcher's work (such as NSD).
References
RAIRD: http://www.raird.no
GSIM: http://www1.unece.org/stat/platform/display/gsim/Generic+Statistical+Information+Model.
GSBPM: http://www1.unece.org/stat/platform/display/GSBPM/Generic+Statistical+Business+Process+Model
DDI Specification: http://www.ddialliance.org/Specification/
Statistics Norway's Business Process Model (SNBPM):
http://www.ssb.no/en/omssb/om-oss/vaar-virksomhet/planer-og-meldinger/statistics-norways-business-process-model