Markku Huttunen, Statistikcentralen

Statistical information has traditionally been reported, released and disseminated in the form of printed publications, which go back a long time. The evolvement and development of the Internet has put the traditional way of reporting, publishing and disseminating statistical information in turmoil. The traditional form of publishing where tables and the information needed in their interpretation are bound into one volume in a publication series of official statistics is disappearing. NSOs are changing over to electronic dissemination of statistics, both as far as tables (databases) and the text analyses (publications) needed in their interpretation are concerned.

What kinds of characteristics should electronic dissemination of statistical information and the entire statistical system posses when the transition is made from printed to electronic dissemination? Statistical information must be exhaustively available in the service, it must be easy to find, published data must always be accompanied by the metadata needed in their interpretation and direct linking to them must be possible. In my paper I discuss problems, requirements and solution models relating to these issues.

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