Step 3.2 Assess the statistical outputs
Assessing statistical output is key to understanding the levels of quality and availability of statistics and of the products and services that facilitate the dissemination, communication, and use of statistics.
The focus of the assessment is the data gap analysis , (a multidimensional analysis of the quality of existing data supply as compared with data demand ) by users in recent past, at present, and in future. The assessment includes a review of current practices against good practices, including internationally-recommended standards and methodologies, across the data value-chain.
The NSDS design team, in close coordination with key stakeholders, should lead and undertake the data assessment. Assessments for priority sectors or subject-matter areas may be conducted.
The data gap assessment should be facilitated by the use of ADAPT.
Key requisites
- Well-defined data demand primarily represented by the national development plan indicators monitoring framework, integrating data required by international development frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as other regional development agendas monitoring frameworks; may include other relevant indicator frameworks in support of the national development agenda .
- Comprehensive inventory and metadata of data supply in the NSS and the data-ecosystem ; and
- Assessment framework guided by and framed according to widely-recommended quality frameworks such as the UN National Quality Assurance Framework (2019) and IMF’s Data Quality Assurance Framework (DQAF), Enhanced General Data Dissemination Standards (e-GDDS) and Special Data Dissemination Standards (SDDS).
Concrete actions
- Establish partnership or coordinate with the national development/planning agency for the elaboration of the national development plan indicators framework in terms of the key attributes (metadata) of data required.
- Conduct an inventory of all statistics produced by the NSS and the data ecosystem using a metadata template.
- Depending on country preference and commitment, organize a training-workshop on ADAPT with all data producers and the national development/planning agency to encode and map the metadata for the data demand and supply.
- Analyze the data quality gaps and recommended action plans resulting from the mapping of demand and supply through ADAPT.
- Prepare a summary of the data assessment by identifying the key data quality gaps and solutions according to the adopted quality assurance framework.
