The International Household Survey Network

IHSNIHSN Secretariat

PARIS21 Steering Committee, 14 November 2007

A mechanism is needed to bring survey sponsors and survey users together. The recommendations propose creation of a Household Survey (HHS) Network, comprising the major sponsors of the global household survey programs...MAPS

A mechanism is needed to bring survey sponsors and survey users together. The recommendations propose creation of a Household Survey (HHS) Network, comprising the major sponsors of the global household survey programs...MAPS

IHSN

The mission of the IHSN is to foster the improvement of the availability, accessibility and quality of survey data in developing countries, and to encourage their analysis and use by national and international development decision makers, the research community, and other stakeholders.

What is IHSN?Mission

•Membership in the Network is currently limited to organizations and agencies providing financial and/or technical support to the implementation of national and/or international survey programs in developing countries.•Operating under the guidance of a Management Group (DFID, ILO, PARIS21, UNICEF, UNSD, WHO/HMN, World Bank)•Serviced by a light secretariat: Olivier Dupriez (WB), Global Coordinator, François Fonteneau (P21), Geoffrey Greenwell (P21), Susan Gray(P21), Mark McConaghy (DFID) •With a core program implemented as a P21 satellite program with WB funding

Better use of survey dataLots of data are collected, but various issues must be

addressed to make them more useful/used:• Limited information on what’s available (no catalogs of

surveys)• Limited accessibility by secondary users (for legal, technical,

psychological and political reasons)• Data often poorly documented, hence difficult or risky to use• Reliability, comparability, relevance, timeliness, periodicity• Loss of many datasets/metadata

Work program on data documentation, dissemination and preservation

Objective 1

Input-Metadata Editor: Input of data and metadata and includes bundling of reports, manuals and all Documents: Output to PDF and DDI

Output-CD-ROM Builder: Input of data and metadata in DDI: Output to HTML for CD-ROM or web dissemination

Catalogue-NADA (National Data Archive): Catalogue and link all the survey data and metadata and facilitate data access through on-line request forms

a specialized software was developed (the IHSN Microdata Management Toolkit) using the power of the DDI standard for metadata exchange:

Microdata Management Toolkit

Metadata are saved in a DDI-compliant XML format …

… which can be automatically transformed into PDF documents, html files (CD-ROM, website), and

searchable survey catalogs.

Microdata Management Toolkit

To complement the Toolkit:–Practical Reference Guides:

•Data Archivists (recommended practices on microdata management and documentation)

•Selecting a microsample of census data for public dissemination

•Guide on anonymization and tools (under development)

–Policy Guidelines:for the formulation of microdata dissemination policies (based on UN-ECE materials)

Who is using these tools?– NSOs and other agencies in ADP countries

– World Bank, FAO, ILO, UNICEF, WHO, and others

IHSN Guidelines

Cataloguing of over 3,000 surveys by country

Central Survey Catalogue

1. Search by country

2. List all surveys

3. Details on the surveys

www.surveynetwork.org

Better quality of future surveys– Timing and sequencing (part of NSDS)– Comparability (over-time, across countries),

and consistency across data sources– Reliability (use of improved methods)

Work program on coordination and harmonization

Objective 2

Timing: Information on Planned Surveys

Under Development

www.surveynetwork.org

A tool for harmonization of survey methods and instruments.

Objective: improve comparability of surveys

! not standardization but a reference point

•A central repository for international guidelines and relevant classifications.•A collection of recommended survey modules, in easily reusable format (DDI-XML), with recommended questions, interviewer’s instructions, editing and analysis guidelines, etc.

Status: being developed with various partners (WB, DFID, FAO, ILO, UNICEF, WHO/HMN, and others)

Countries will be encouraged to develop their own question banks to establish their own standards with reference to international standards

www.surveynetwork.org

Comparability: Question Bank

The SQAF is in draft stage and currently being reviewed.

•Its purpose is to provide practical guidelines and a step by step checklist for:•Standards and best practices in planning and implementing a household survey •Support the development of new survey projects and to evaluate surveys

which have already been conducted.

Guide and Checklist based on a model provided by the DESAP

DESAP is a generic checklist for the systematic evaluation of surveys in the European Statistical System, published in 2004.

Reliability: Survey Quality Assessment Framework

What is the IHSN?Partnership Examples

With WHO and HMN:•Use of IHSN tools to document and disseminate EPI clusters surveys, World Health Surveys, GFIE.With ILO•Development of guidelines for labor migration surveys and for labor force surveys With UNICEF•Documentation and dissemination of all MICS datasets using the IHSN Toolkit (50 countries)With FAO•Introduced the Toolkit to document Agricultural Surveys and Censuses.With the Academy of Educational Development•Assessment of education data in existing surveys, and assessment and improvement of survey instrumentsFor the Question Bank•WHO: Health modules•ILO: Labour modules•FAO: Agriculture modules

•In order to visually demonstrate the various outputs and concepts the remaining time is dedicated to a demonstration of the National Data Archive.

NADA Demo

Summary through a view of the National Data Archive

The IHSN Thanks you

www.surveynetwork.org