The experience of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in applying handheld devices for data collection

Transcription

1 The experience of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in applying handheld devices for data collection Ramallah, Palestine

2 Technological Development Mainframe PC Laptop I phone PC Cable network wireless tablet wireless

3 Palestine in figures Indicator Year Value Population mid-year (Million) Sex ratio Media age Life expectancy at birth: Males Life expectancy at birth: Females Population density (person/km2) Unemployment Rate (15 years and over) 3rd quarter, Literacy Rate (15 years and above) Poverty rates among individuals GDP per capita (US$) ,609.6 % of individuals using computer (10 years)

4 Introduction permanent employees in addition to temporary ones 2007 PCBS has implemneted major Projects 2000 The General Statistics law 1993 PCBS established

5 Direction of PCBS to invest in technology Enter.. the first step in in transforming data collection from paper to Computerize

6 Direction of PCBS to invest in technology Positive assessment (speed/ quality/save costs) Local experiences in Palestine Faster data collection and processing Positive impact on data Experiences in the region Reduce time between data collection and dissemination Available in the local market/ largely varying prices Increasing of software packages in global markets The main reason for seeking to utilize HHD in data collection was to overcome obstacles associated with the transfer of paper questionnaires from the field to main office due to checkpoints Reduce burden associated / paper questionnaires Reduce running cost Keep up with new technological developments Opportunity for employee development

7 Challenges in using HHD Allocation of sufficient investment to fit the new technology Assessment of the direct impact on the functional structure Varying reactions from respondents mysterious equipments Resistance to change Provision of adequate HHD Availability of technical support to maintain equipments Quality and reliability of data transfer services

8 Chronological steps adopted to utilize HHD in data collection Seq Year Implement Technical committee to study feasibility, opportunities and threats in using such technology on statistical activities Market research to identify previous experiences at local level or regional level in using HHD either in private or public sector Experiment using only one HHD in the CPI Provision of 45 HHD and experiment software development tools that enable the processing of surveys Piloting HHD on CPI and agriculture census pre-test Utilize HHD in the collection of CPI data using 25 HHD Testing HHD in LFS Application of HHD on 8 surveys

9 Impact of using HHD on statistical data collection Project cycle Data quality Project duration Fieldworkers Budget Data security Relevancy Follow up Cooperation of respondents HHD Questionnaire design Preparing Program Training Collecting Data Sending Data Data Cleaning Final Report Paper Questionnaire design Training Collecting Data Editing Coding Data Entry Data Capture Data Cleaning Final Report

10 Comparison between traditional and HHD data collection Stage Traditional data collection Using HHD Preparation of questionnaire Enough time is prepared on designing paper questionnaire to ensure it fits well with written standards on questionnaire design Enough time is spent on designing data processing applications (data entry, reporting systems) Collecting data Collecting data on paper questionnaire Data collections in HHD with consists checks and coding Editing of data Editing of data paper questionnaire During data collection Coding Coding paper questionnaire During interview

11 Comparison between traditional and HHD data collection Stage Traditional data collection Using HHD Data entry Verification Data entry Controls are applied to ensure captured data is consistent after finish Data Entry During interview Controls are applied to ensure captured data is consistent daily Data cleaning Run consists checks In data collection Data Transfer Gather data into one database from local offices During data collection Data storage In servers with daily, weekly, monthly backup On main server with daily backup

12 Current setup for HHD at PCBS Device 2. Data sim for each device 3. 8 survey using HHD in the field Consumer prices survey Product prices Construction costs Price index and industrial products VAT forms Labour Force Survey Llocal Tourism Survey

13 4. Same program for HHD and desktop 5. Server for data storage 6. Backup daily, weekly and monthly 7. Sending data from the field

14 8. Daily report program for project manager and field work directors 10. Field work reports 9. Quality control reports

15 Comparison between traditional and HHD data collection for PPI survey Paper HHD Seq Active No. of Employees Sstart End Seq Active No. Employee Start End 1 Data Collection data collection Editing Data Entry Data Cleaning data cleaning Reports reports Days save for reporting include data quality Integration of fieldwork task (one fieldworker responsible for different surveys)

16 Lessons learned Promote the technology within the organization Special plan to manage change on temporary employees (fieldworkers) and on subject matter specialists Selection of HHD and type of software to use to ensure risk is minimized Apply experiments on surveys that owners are risk takers to ensure willingness to learn and innovate Sufficient time to test the new technology on different type of surveys Apply changes to regular training program of fieldworkers to allocate sufficient time to te issue of technology but not on the account of technical survey's technical matters. Empowerment of technical committee to ensure ownership of the project

17 Special procedures to monitor data on daily basis to avoid surprises Always look at impact on traditional project cycle and provide solutions Documentation of experiences in the different processes