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Data Acquisition and Collection

Objectives
Data Acquisition and Collection Branch (DACB) is part of the ABS 2017 Program Delivery Division which includes a range of business transformation projects as well as ongoing collection and dissemination services for the ABS. The Branch provides a professional data acquisition service for the ABS across business, household and administrative data collections. In doing so, it supports the ABS corporate mission and objectives by providing a high quality, timely and cost effective service while maintaining the trust and cooperation of providers through a range of measures, including:

• developing and adopting world’s best practice in data collection
• developing and maintaining a skilled and committed home and office-based interviewer workforce
• upholding the confidentiality of information provided to the ABS
• continually improving the processes and instruments to improve the interaction with providers.

• data collection and capture capability, systems, procedures and instruments for ABS surveys and administrative sources to deliver cleansed datasets, including administrative unit record data and ABS survey data
• advice to subject matter areas on data acquisition strategies for the collection of data from both administrative sources and ABS surveys
• sample management for ABS household surveys
• an active provider engagement strategy to ensure a continued high level of public trust and provider cooperation.

• providing an internet reporting option for household surveys – due December 2012
• providing an internet reporting option for business surveys – due June 2012
• introducing mobile devices and applications to ABS field operations – due mid 2012
• progressing the development of a questionnaire authoring tool to facilitate end-to-end data and metadata management – ongoing
• developing and implementing a new household survey sampling system based on the new Australian Standard Geographical Classification – due 2012
• continuing to integrate data enhanced collection processes across household and business based collections – ongoing
• increasing the extent of administrative data acquisition undertaken by the ABS including greater use of corporate facilities – ongoing
• optimising the use of internet reporting for online collections – June 2014.