Data dissemination is the distribution or
transmitting of statistical, or other, data to end users. There are many ways organizations can release data to the public, i.e. electronic format,
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...
and
paper publications such as
PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
files based on aggregated data. The most popular dissemination method today is the ‘non-proprietary’ open systems using
internet protocols. Data is made available in common
open formats.
Some organizations choose to disseminate data using ‘
proprietary’
databases in order to protect their sovereignty and
copyright of the data. Proprietary data dissemination requires a specific piece of software in order for end users to view the data. The data will not open in common open formats. The data is first converted into the
proprietary data format, and specifically designed software is provided by the organization to users.
Dissemination formats and standards
Under the
Special Data Dissemination Standard, the formats are divided into two categories: "hardcopy" and "electronic" publications
Some examples of Hardcopy publications:
*
yearbook
* panorama of municipalities
* monthly review
* trends
*
pocketbook
PocketBook is a multinational company which produces e-book readers based on E Ink technology (an electronic paper technology) under the ''PocketBook'' brand. The company was founded in 2007 in Kyiv, Ukraine, and its headquarters were shifted t ...
*
periodical
Some examples of electronic copy publications:
* CD Rom
*
Webpage
* PDF
* Downloadable Databases for private use in 3rd party software applications
Standards
Standards have been developed in order to provide an internationally accepted statistical methodology for the dissemination of statistical data. The ‘
International Organization for Standardization’ (ISO) are one such international standard-setting body made up of representatives from various national standards organizations. They created the
SDMX standard widely used around the world. SDMX stands for ‘Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange’.
It is commonly used in national and international statistical and economic
data sharing systems. This standard is for the exchange of essential social and economic statistics, for example between European national agencies and
Eurostat
Eurostat ('European Statistical Office'; DG ESTAT) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide statis ...
and the
European Central Bank. SDMX is used for the dissemination of multi-dimensional
aggregated data.
The
Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) was created by th
DDI Alliance DDI is an open metadata specification and covers the full data life cycle from planning through to dissemination and archiving data. It is most popularly used for social statistics micro data but is not limited to this subject area. There are some examples online where these two standards are in use in proprietary data form.
Some examples of proprietary data dissemination online
*
Public Transport Victoria
Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is the brand name for public transport in the Australian state of Victoria, Australia, Victoria. It was the trading name of the Go Public Transport Development Authority (PTDA), a now-defunct statutory authorit ...
br>
Online Portal
Health Workforce Australia Online Portal{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519195518/http://data.hwa.gov.au/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml , date=2017-05-19
* Cancer Council Victori
Online Portal
* Catholic Education Office Canberra
* Department of Workplace and Pensions UK
Online Portal*
Australian Bureau of Statistics Table builderbr>
Table Builder Online Portal* King Faisal Specialist Hospital Research Centr
Online Portal
References
Data transmission
Logistics