1. Going Local with a World-Class Data
Infrastructure: Enabling SDMX for
Research Support
Rob Grim
Head Research Support/Research Data Specialist
Executive Manager Open Data Foundation (ODaF)
Library & IT Services, Tilburg University (Netherlands)
IASSIST 2012, June 8 Washington

2. Research Data Support? With SDMX?
• Why should we support
researchers anyway?
• Why should a university use a
complex set of standards such as
SDMX to support research?
• CARDS World Taxation Indicators Curation
project
• Collaborative research
SDMX
• Workflow support
• Infrastructure development Capture
• Metadata management
• What does it take get SDMX up
and running?
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3. Research Data Support (Tilburg University)
1. Archive research data
and supplementary
materials
2. Register data sources
used and provenance Dataset available !
information
3. Assist with dataset
description to improve
accessibility of datasets
4. Integrated library and
data catalogue
5. Subject portals e.g.
„European Values Study‟
DDI and RDF in metadata record (hidden)
6. Financial Data Support
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4. Research (Data) Support
1. “Research Support”, often Landscape tools
used as a synonym for IT
support
2. Current research data Dataverse Network (DVN)
services focus on data
archiving, DMPs, curation
Archiving + Access Management
3. Simple approaches to data
sharing
4. Portfolio of research data SDMX
tools needed to support
academic practices
Metadata Repository Questasy
5. Potential of metadata
management undervalued Survey documentation
SDMX Data Repository
Aim for “Need to have”
instead of “Nice to Have”
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5. Metadata Management
Metadata Registry Capture
Dissemination Tools
Capture
Capture
Time-series data Source: Eurostat
Source: OECD.Stat
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Tools needed!

6. Why SDMX?
1. SDMX allows us to capture and manage
„data intelligence‟ in a formalized and
structured way
Curation
2. SDMX information model useful to
describe time-series data from different
disciplines SDMX
3. SDMX offers means to prevent
unnecessary replication of data Capture
4. SDMX offers means to deal with
confidential data and IPR
5. The standard is well used, training
materials, tutorials available
6. SDMX IT tools are available for different FAO
platforms: Java .NET
7. FAO OpenSDMX initiative (D4Science)
8. Researchers want „something‟ like
OECD.Stat
OECD.Stat
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7. Workflow
Existing tools
Time series metadata:
Verbs: concepts, dimensions,
…Extract from PDF, CSV attributes
…Convert toSDMX-ML
…Code 4 Registry Table: Overview of registry structures
Agency ECB FAOStat GIST IAEG ISO SDMX
Agency Scheme 0 0 0 0 0 1
Categorisations 0 0 0 0 0 0
Category schemes 1 0 0 0 0 1
Codelists 2 8 2 10 0 9
URL: WTI
Concept schemes 1 1 0 2 1 1
DSD 3 1 0 1 0 0
Dataflows 1 1
Data provider scheme 1 1
Provision agreement 2
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8. Where we are now?
• Production workflow for SDMX
• Populating the metadata registry
• Enter (hierachichal)
codelists
• Concept IDs
• Concept Schemes
• DSDs
• Dataflows
• SDMX ML Generic format
• WTI Fusion Registry
• SDMX data repository
• Keep data in the original
formats (csv, txt, Stata)
• Convert data from a
database to SDMX Source: SDMX Information Model
• Specific purpose database
for SDMX compliant system
• Other: Collaborate with
FAO, Open SDMX?
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9. Metadata registry: Fusion Registry
Code Values
Codelists

10. Concept Scheme
Titelpresentatie in Footer 13-6-2012 10

11. Category Scheme

12. CARDS-project World Taxation Indicators
1. Georgia State University, International
Center for Public Policy, World Tax
Indicators Portal
2. Tilburg University, prof. Jenny Ligthart
3. Lack of data on personal income tax
(PIT), corporate income tax (CIT), Value
Added Tax (VAT) and other tax
indicators
4. Incomplete series, missing countries,
tax data difficult to access
(addendums), difficult to compare
5. Work WTI group: statutory tax rates.
Tilburg: effective tax rates, corporate
income tax.
6. The „raw „data stem from the IMF/GFS
and the OECD/Revenue statistics.
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13. Lessons learnt so far
• Support of senior management is needed to get beyond the
project/pilot stage
• SDMX standards are complex: steep learning curve
• Capacity building is a must (Tip: Eurostat SDMX tutorials)
• SDMX data repository: collaborate with other organizations
• Focus on DSDs, full target and partial identifiers, hierarchical code
lists
• Fusion Registry upgrade
• Additional (academic) partners welcome to leverage the macro
economic time series registry and repository
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14. Acknowledgements
• CARDS was funded SURF. Final Thought
The CARDS project was
Don‟t forget!
undertaken in 2011 in the
framework of the SURFshare Before you ask:
programme – Access to
Research Data “What you can do for your
• WTI group and prof. Jenny country “, ask yourself:
Ligthart
“What metadata management
can do for you”
References
1. Burgi-Schmelz, A. (2009). Data to the rescue. Why improved statistical information will be key for
prevention of future crises. Finance and Development, 46(1), 31-43.
2. Peter, K. S., Buttrick, S., & Duncan, D. Data appendix to “global reform of personal income taxation, 1981-
2005: Evidence from 189 countries”
3. Peter, K. S., Steve Buttrick, & Duncan, D. (2010). Global reform of personal income taxation, 1981-2005:
Evidence from 189 countries. National Tax Journal, 6(3).
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