Outcomes of the
Scheveningen Memorandum
Emanuele Baldacci
Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat)
Head, Department for Integration, Quality, Research
and Production Networks Development (DIQR)
Rome, 31 March 2014
ESS Event
From the Scheveningen Memorandum (I)
The demand for timely and cost efficient production of
high quality statistical data increases, as well the need for
new solutions to decrease response level/burden
Big Data represent new opportunities and challenges for
official statistics that should incorporate all innovative
potential data sources as much as possible into their
conceptual design
The implementation of new production methods for
European statistics also represents an objective of the
European Statistical Programme and aims at gaining in
efficiency and at improving quality
Emanuele Baldacci - Rome, 31 March 2014
From the Scheveningen Memorandum (II)
The European Statistical System and its Members/Partners are
encouraged to effectively examine the potential of Big Data
sources
Big Data cross-country features should be highlighted: they can
positively contribute to build up synergies and partnerships
with experts and stakeholders from various domains at
European level
NSIs are faced with tasks related to new developments in
methodology, quality assessment and IT-related issues
Emanuele Baldacci - Rome, 31 March 2014
A Technical Commission on Big Data
To guide the Institute strategy under Istat coordination and to
address investments on Big Data adoption in statistical
production processes (from February 2013 to February 2015),
With the participation of the National Research Council (CNR),
Italian universities, the Central Bank, private institutions, other
experts
An internal Working Group
To support the Commission, with the participation of Istat
researchers and experts
Developments of Research Protocols and Agreements
To actively collaborate with other research Institutes and
Universities
Istat Governance System
Emanuele Baldacci - Rome, 31 March 2014
Istat Technical Commission
The Commission will release a strategy for Big Data adoption
as a result of a mixed approach combining:
Top down phase - analysis of the state-of-the-art of Big Data
research and practice
Bottom up phase - experimentations
Emanuele Baldacci - Rome, 31 March 2014
Top Down Analysis: Issue Papers
Three different papers written by three Groups of Commission
members
Statistical Methodology
Computer Science Methodology and Technology
Experiences
Integrated Issue Paper as input for the strategy (by April 2014)
Data
Integration
and Quality
Data
Analytics
Privacy and
Legal Issues
Emanuele Baldacci - Rome, 31 March 2014
Bottom Up Analysis: Experimentations
Three different experimental projects
Persons and Places
Labour Market Estimation based on Google Trends
ICT use by enterprises based on Internet as a Data Source
Reports on the first results available by April 2014
Emanuele Baldacci - Rome, 31 March 2014
Persons and Places
Purpose:
Production of the origin/destination matrix of daily mobility for
work and study at the spatial granularity of municipality level
starting from mobile phone (tracking) data
Actors involved in the project:
Istat (Central Methodological Sector, Department of
Censuses, Administrative and Statistical Registers)
National Research Council (CNR)
University of Pisa
Advancement level: Ongoing implementation
Emanuele Baldacci - Rome, 31 March 2014
Labour Market Estimation
Purpose:
To test the use of Google Trends for forecasting and
nowcasting purposes in the Labour Force domain
• Monthly forecasting, e.g. Release on February of (i)
unemployment rates referred to January; (ii) prediction of
the unemployment rate referred to February
• Nowcasting for small areas - improving territorial level
estimates by accessing GT series at finer granularity (e.g.
Provinces)
Actors involved in the project:
Istat, Central Methodological Sector and Labour Force Survey
Advancement level: Ongoing implementation
Emanuele Baldacci - Rome, 31 March 2014
Use of ICT by Enterprises
Purpose:
To evaluate the possibility of adopting web scraping and text mining
techniques for estimates on the use of ICT by enterprises and Public
Institutions
Actors involved in the project:
Istat, Central Methodological Sector, Survey on Information and
Communication Technology in Enterprises and Public Institutions
Cineca (consortium of Italian Universities, National Research
Council and Ministry of Education and Research)
Advancement level: Advanced Implementation
Legislation, i.e. with respect to the access and use of data
Privacy, i.e. managing public trust and acceptance of data
re-use and its link to other sources
Financing, i.e. potential costs of sourcing data vs. benefits
Management, e.g. policies and directives about data
management and protection
Methodology, i.e. data quality and suitability of statistical
methods
Technology, i.e. issues related to information technology
Challenges and Open Issues
Emanuele Baldacci - Rome, 31 March 2014
Thank you for your attention
Contacts:
www.istat.it
Emanuele Baldacci - Rome, 31 March 2014