An NDN Summer for Statisticians
Australia has a rich collection of censuses, surveys, cohort studies, population databases and administrative records.
These collections are held separately and are underutilised in terms of their potential to yield valuable new information.
The National Data Network (NDN), which is being developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with other interested agencies, offers a solution to these problems.
By providing the infrastructure necessary for various organisations to make their data available on individual nodes, the initiative provides a library of data holdings relevant to policy analysis and research.
It will promote improved integration and consistency across government by facilitating greater collaboration between data providers and efficient access to the data itself.
Participating organisations will also have access to a range of web based services, protocols, procedures, and tools to assist them to more efficiently manage and share data in a way that ensures security and privacy. It will facilitate the whole process of finding, understanding, acquiring, and making appropriate use of data.
Another key component of the NDN is its web site which is designed to support both producers and users of statistics. For producers it provides assistance in the storage of data and its dissemination to a wider constituency of users. For users it provides assistance in identifying statistical information suitable to their needs. In future, it will be expanded to provide a range of tools to assist in the conducting of sample surveys.
Recent developments for the NDN include the development and roll out of the core infrastructure and software for the first two participating agencies; The Office for Economics, Statistics and Research in Queensland (OESR) and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The ABS is also releasing data from the Census, including Journey to Work data.
The National Data Network
The National Data Network will provide a national platform for acquiring, sharing, and integrating data relevant to policy and research. If you wish to find out more information about the NDN or participate in discussion forums relating to the development of NDN systems visit the NDN web site, the access point for all NDN facilities. www.nationaldatanetwork.org
Print Page
Print All