The impact of Electronic Data Interchange on statistical data processing (Q1584176)

The traditional approach to making statistics is to collect data by means of surveys using paper questionnaire forms. In the case of household and personal surveys, interviewers record answers to questions, either in face-to-face interviews or telephone interviews. In the case of establishments surveys, data collection usually relies on of mail out/mail back of questionnaire forms. Rapid developments in information technology (including the Internet) have caused a change from paper-streams to bit-streams. The paper questionnaire is gradually being replaced by an electronic questionnaire and other forms of Electronic Data Interchange. Efficient implementation of these new ways of data collection require a total redesign of the statistical production process. They call for a Business Process Redesign (BPR). The main reasons for BPR are that this new approach allows for two types of integration. In the first place, there is task integration. In the second place, there is survey integration. This paper argues that the change from paper questionnaire and paper publications to electronic questionnaires and electronic publications makes a BPR inevitable. The traditional stove-pipe approach, where each individual survey had its own questionnaire and publications, must be replaced by a new approach focused on external sources (for data collection) and external customers (for dissemination). As a result, the internal processes are integrated, and the focus is on corporate databases instead of separate departmental databases. Some aspects of the new approach are illustrated by examples of developments at Statistics Netherlands.