Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe - Volume 17, issue 2

Authors: Fong, Phil

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Many statistical organisations have made significant long-term investments in creating a GIS infrastructure required for census purposes. These investments include the purchasing of computer hardware, GIS software and the human resources to create the spatial databases. Usually, this GIS infrastructure is only accessible and used by a small group of GIS professionals. This paper reviews Statistics Canada's experience in creating a Corporate Geographic Infrastructure and in developing Internet-based GIS tools and applications to maximise the access and use of the Spatial Data Infrastructure.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2000-17201

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 105-108, 2000

Authors: Tammilehto-Luode, Marja | Backer, Lars | Rogstad, Lars

Article Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2000-17202

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 109-117, 2000

Authors: Calder, Alistair

Article Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2000-17203

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 119-123, 2000

Authors: Hall, Stephen | Thurstain-Goodwin, Mark

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Much valuable public sector geographic data continues to be virtually inaccessible both within government as a whole and to the private sector. However progress is being made, and in particular in meeting a key policy need for statistics through GIS. Systematic data collection on the UK's town centres has not been undertaken for almost 30 years, yet they have witnessed dramatic change and the potential impacts of further change need to be assessed. Inter-departmental data sharing, ownership and partnership and the involvement of users, are at the forefront of a project which is using innovative GIS approaches to …fill the void in statistics. A system has been developed that conceptually models areas of town centre activity, using fine scale data and produces an index which can be converted into a continuous spatial measure. Using this measure, Central Statistical Areas can be identified for which consistent statistics such as employment, retail sales turnover and floorspace can be derived. This approach has proven to work even in London with its many separate centres. Local authorities are integrated in the approach by encouraging them to undertake local data and output verification via interactive GIS internet applications. The project is intended to be implemented across the country, so that for every town centre, reliable statistics will be available. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2000-17204

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 125-132, 2000

Authors: Trainor, Timothy | Dougherty, Kaile

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The Information Age has inundated people with more statistics than ever before. The casual interest or the “need to know” demand for facts about a geographic area specific to the interests of the researcher or data gatherer create a disclosure avoidance challenge of a new dimension for data providers. The potential for finer resolution in data tabulations becomes possible with improvements in data collection tools; advances that result largely from innovations in technology combined with improved data collection procedures. The finest resolution for capturing data, that is, the spatial location of the respondent, has become a reality. Demands for more …information at more precise resolutions, including spatial resolution, do not necessarily result in recognition by official statistical offices to the increased capacity made possible by new technical offerings. The convergence of data, users, and technology has raised interesting disclosure questions and dilemmas for statistical organizations. Users increasingly compare data with geography and they oftentimes want to perform these analyses for different time periods. Changes in geography over time, availability of data for a given area only at specific points in time, and availability of data for the same geography over different time periods are examples of queries that impact data availability, data usability, and disclosure avoidance concerns. Higher resolutions of data collection and dissemination and the potential for using data at the smallest levels of geography, raise relevant questions concerning the feasibility of meeting these demands while conforming to concerns about confidentiality. These issues are further complicated by the availability of technology such as geographic information systems (GIS) which provide tools to add, subtract, compare, and analyze geography and data in which the use of software functions raise legitimate questions about the impact of these tools on disclosure avoidance of statistical data. Show more

Keywords: geography, user-defined, respondent location, data integration, disclosure

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2000-17205

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 133-140, 2000

Authors: Rase, Daniel

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: In its Green Paper entitled Public sector information: a key resource for Europe, published in January 1999, the Commission expresses concern about the low level of dissemination of public sector information by EU countries. The report states that “the ready availability of public information is an absolute prerequisite for the competitiveness of European industry. In this respect, EU companies are at a serious competitive disadvantage compared to their American counterparts, which benefit from a highly developed, efficient public information system at all levels of the administration”. Geographical information is no exception to this rule. European diversity in data …policy and its interpretation, in data specification, in pricing and access rules, in private/public sector relationships, is holding back the development of a single market and the growth of the European economy. In the near future, in Europe, the governments should freely access and exploit GI in decision making and solving the pressing political bottlenecks in society, such as a social exclusion, security and health. The public sector should work in full partnership with, and encouraging, the private sector to provide information via electronic systems. European citizens should use GI for participation in the public decision making processes, and use many services. GI usage should be far more embedded in education programs. The research community should build up a knowledge infrastructure to be exploited through many knowledge centres. A way to achieve all these objectives is to create a European Geographic Information Infrastructure. The paper prepared by Eurostat describes the initiatives already taken by the Commission in this direction: GI2000, the creation of EUROGI, the R&D projects, the drafting of a first document on a vision for the EGII and the creation of an interservice group to discuss the use of GI and GIS inside the Commission. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2000-17206

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 141-147, 2000

Authors: Nebert, Douglas

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The Geospatial Data Clearinghouse has been operating in the United States since 1996 to provide a discovery service for digital geographic information of all types. Primarily designed to facilitate sharing of data collected and managed by US Federal government activities, the Clearinghouse technology has been widely deployed at all levels (government, private, and academic) in the US and other countries, linking prospective GIS and imagery data users with data providers of all types. This article describes the history, content, and direction of the Geospatial Data Clearinghouse designed and implemented by the US Federal Geographic Data Committee.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2000-17207

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 149-156, 2000

Authors: Grasland, Claude | Mathian, Hélène | Vincent, Jean-Marc

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Despite the great number of statistical methods which has been developed in the last decades for the generalisation and interpolation of statistical surfaces, many theoretical and methodological problems remain for the application of those methods to the analysis of the spatial distributions of social phenomena. Indeed, maps of social indexes are derived from a spatial aggregation of discrete events or objects and the spatial continuity is not an inherent property of those distributions. A phenomenon like the population density or the rate of population variation can not be defined directly by an objective measure in any location as it is …the case for physical phenomena (temperature, altitude). Accordingly, the usual methods of spatial interpolation based on sampling theory and inferential statistics (triangulation, kriging, {\ldots}) can not be applied for the analysis of those distributions of discrete phenomena and other solutions are needed for the estimation of continuous surfaces of the distribution. The Hypercarte Project, a research network established in 1996, has proposed a general solution to this problem. This solution is based on the concept of multiscalar spatial neighbourhood, with a particular insight to the case of gaussian neighbourhood which presents interesting theoretical and empirical properties for the analysis of the distribution of social and economic distributions. In a first part, the paper presents a detailed description of the mathematical basis of this method on a theoretical example. In a second part, the political consequences of the method are analysed through a classical problem of territorial planning. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2000-17208

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 157-188, 2000

Authors: Meliskova, Jana

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The rapid development in mapping technologies has visibly upgraded the power of statistical analyses and their dissemination. Focused on spatial dimension and using diverse remote sensing methods, geographic information systems (GIS) make the integration of statistics borderless and statistical analysis more value-added, permitting the evaluation of statistical data across traditional subject-matter fields. Management of statistical offices is increasingly aware that the integration of socio-economic and geographical information, when combined with GIS, assists in decision-making across subject-matter fields affecting education, health, environmental protection, municipal services, economic development and location of essential infrastructure. Internet and Intranet accelerate users' access to these systems …and transparency is a key word for any geographically related information. In addition to these strong points, however, many challenges still remain to be explored by national and international statistical agencies to make GIS applications efficient and safe. The Statistical Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) is conducting a region-wide transfer of know-how on the use of mapping technologies for the collection, production and dissemination of statistical data. As well as regular meetings in this field, the Statistical Division is organising the international work on the development-related methodological materials and guidelines. All activities are undertaken in close cooperation with Eurostat, OECD, IMF, UN Statistics Division and other international organisations involved as a part of the programme of work of the Conference of European Statisticians. The aim of this paper is to report about the major objectives and activities going on in this field and to draw attention to some national and international projects on the use of mapping technologies for statistical purposes. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-2000-17209

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 189-193, 2000