Page 85 - Proceedings of the 2017 ITU Kaleidoscope

Challenges for a data-driven society

There are also models to represent information, activities, The capability of national data ecosystems (focusing
capabilities, business processes, and modernization of particularly on organizational capacity) can be improved
statistical organizations. Examples of such models are: through the formulation of a new multidimensional
prescriptive CMM to assess and leverage the capacity of the
• Generic Statistical Information Model (GSIM) – a entities responsible for reporting on the progress of the
reference framework of internationally agreed SDGs at the national level – typically, the NSOs – in
definitions, attributes and relationships that describe the collecting, analyzing, processing, and reporting data about
pieces of information that are used in the production of the SDGs.
official statistics [31]. It describes the information
objects and flow within the statistical business process. Maturity reflects a level of organizational development
• Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) which can be used to determine the capability of
– describes and defines the set of business processes organizations to perform certain activities. Maturity models
needed to produce official statistics [32]. It covers all are an important tool to assess the quality and effectiveness
the activities undertaken by producers of official of processes. Evaluating maturity became popular with the
statistics – at both national and international levels – introduction of the CMM for software defined by the
which result in data outputs. It is designed to be Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon
independent of the data source, so it can be used for the University [34]. Maturity models can be used to identify
description and quality assessment of processes based organizational strengths and weaknesses, and as tools for
on surveys, censuses, administrative records, and other benchmarking information [35].
non-statistical or mixed sources.
• Generic Activity Models for Statistical Organizations Prescriptive models surpass descriptive ones since they are
(GAMSO) – describes and defines the activities that good not only for assessing the here-and-now (also known
take place within a typical statistical organization. It as the “as-is” situation) but also to indicate the way to
extends and complements GSBPM by adding improve the level maturity by enabling organizations to
additional activities needed to support statistical develop a roadmap for improvement [36]. Organizations
production. It is useful to assess the readiness of applying these types of models benefit from the ability to
organizations to implement different aspects of measure and assess their capabilities at a given point in time
modernization. and to have guidelines on improvement measures.
• Modernization Maturity Models (MMM) – self-
evaluation tools to assess the level of organizational Some of the statistics data quality initiatives (as discussed in
maturity against a set of pre-defined criteria. The Section 3) stand to make a contribution to improving the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe quality of the data produced by the NSOs. However, it
(UNECE) defined a MMM that considers multiple remains that none of these initiatives are specifically aimed
aspects of maturity and distinct dimensions in the at improving the quality (defined by its completeness,
context of modernization [33]. The model defines uniqueness, timeliness, validity, accuracy, and consistency
maturity levels allowing identifying the organizational [37]) of the data generated for the monitoring of the SDGs,
maturity, which can be compared between and at assessing the capability maturity of such entities and
organizations, and between statistical domains/business the processes they use to produce SDGs statistics. The
units within an organization. closest initiative would be the MMM as it can be used to
identify the maturity of statistical organizations and it helps
4. IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF SDG them to modernize the way they produce official statistics.
INDICATORS DATA Nevertheless, the most critical difference with the model
presented in this paper relies on the focus: while the CMM
While most of the existing work focuses on assessing and targets specifically the process that informs the progress
improving the quality of the information produced, we towards the SDGs, the MMM focuses on the approach
believe the way that such information is produced is equal followed by statistical organizations to modernize the way
or even more important. To be able to monitor progress, they produce official statistics as a whole. The evolution of
make governments accountable, and advance sustainable the model is also different; while the CMM is prescriptive,
development, having strong institutions able to fulfill the the MMM is descriptive. Defined as a "self-evaluation tool
rapidly changing demand for high-quality information is to assess the level of organizational maturity against a set of
utterly important. It is also imperative for the improvement pre-defined criteria" [33, p. 1], the MMM is complemented
of the capability of the national data ecosystem that by a roadmap where the guidelines to reach higher levels of
frameworks, models, and standards are formulated to organizational maturity are defined. The CCA by UNDP
support the adoption of best practices for improving the can also be a useful input to the CMM since it holds the
monitoring of SDGs. potential for ensuring that the support provided by UN
agencies as a whole in a country is coherent and
complementary, drawing from each agency’s expertise,
resources, and mandate. Other existing efforts, like
GAMSO and CSPA, could also inform the CMM.

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