Integration of statistical and geospatial information

Geographic information data and systems are essential not only for mapping or georeferencing information, but also for producing new statistics with high levels of disaggregation and high frequency. However, in the region these data and systems have been developed separately from statistical offices and the process has generally been characterized by a lack of dialogue and integrated work between the geospatial and statistical offices of each country.

Only in recent years have geographically referenced information systems and population census and household survey frameworks begun to be integrated, and there is a need to foster coordination between institutions with different logics and objectives.

To address this problem, Component II of the project is focused on generating methodological guidelines to strengthen the technical capacities of the National Geospatial Information Agencies and the National Statistical Offices in the integration of data and geospatial and statistical information based on the principles of Global Geospatial Statistical Framework of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM).

This Component II of the project has a strong innovative character, since it aims at linking statistical and geospatial data through geocoding methods, the management of these data in interoperable database management environments, so that they are subsequently disseminated through web platforms based on geographic information systems. The possibility of having georeferenced or geocoded statistical data allows analysts and policy makers to explore the relationship between different phenomena in ways that were not possible before. The increased availability of geospatial information and the increase in the capabilities of computer technology allow for innovation not only in the way in which statistics are displayed, but also in obtaining new statistics from geographic data sources.

Aim

Component II of the project aims to strengthen capacities for the integration of statistical and geospatial information, through collaborative work between national statistical offices/national statistical systems and national geospatial agencies/national geospatial data infrastructures.

Within the framework of this collaboration, the geospatial community is expected to provide data on administrative units, georeferenced postal addresses, parcels, building identifiers, transportation networks, as well as geocoding and metadata standards, among others.

Furthermore, the statistical community is expected to contribute to integration processes with census geographies and statistical data disaggregated into social, economic, agricultural, and environmental themes; demographic and census data; administrative records; statistical models of commercial processes; and national and international privacy protocols, among others.

Expected results

The project is expected to increase the capacities of selected countries to integrate geospatial and statistical data and information by adopting regional and global frameworks, standards and methodologies to support decision-making based on geostatistical data disaggregated on a territorial level. The increase in capacities in these areas should be reflected in the following specific results:

Adoption of geocoding methodologies supported by the use of fundamental geospatial data to geocode geostatistical data, such as administrative geographies, census geographies, georeferenced postal addresses, cadastral parcels, and/or others.
Using common geographies for the dissemination of geocoded statistical data.
Agreements between national statistical offices and national geospatial agencies to work collaboratively on the integration of statistical and geospatial information.
Roadmaps describing actions to integrate statistical and geospatial information following the five principles of the UN-GGIM Global Geospatial Statistical Framework.
Use of geospatial platforms to disseminate disaggregated statistical data across the territory.

Beneficiary countries

1. Argentina	5. Paraguay
2. Costa Rica	6. Dominican Republic
3. Ecuador

Project stages

1. Diagnosis	Diagnosis of the current situation regarding the integration of statistical and geospatial data in the national statistical offices of the project’s target countries and selected countries of the European Union. This diagnosis will consider aspects related to the use of geospatial information in their processes of production and dissemination of statistical data, technical aspects of hardware, connectivity, existence of licenses for geographic information systems, use of standards and geodatabase configuration, among others. This diagnosis will be a relevant input for the design component.
2.	Design of a statistical geoportal prototype to be implemented in each of the Project’s target countries, which allows the online storage, processing and dissemination (as map services) of geocoded statistical data, with its corresponding disaggregation or aggregation, applying interoperability protocols and standards established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).
3.	Construction of the statistical geoportal through the development of the applications that make up the software architecture and the functional design of the geoportal.
4.	Implementation of the statistical geoportal prototype, including software installation, integration with map services, metadata and other public data at the national level. The implementation considers the physical installation of the applications on the institutional servers in accordance with the results of the diagnosis carried out on the component.
Component 5	Operation of the statistical geoportal including services to continuously maintain the operation of the statistical geoportal in the selected countries.

Source link