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Operationalizing metadata frameworks - An ABS perspective

Keywords: information management, integration, change program, international collaboration, metadata framework

Data users are becoming more sophisticated and require data sooner, cheaper and in a more integrated format. For NSIs to remain relevant we must respond to this changing environment. Increasing cost pressures, however, can make the pace of change slow.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is currently undertaking a major change program called the Information Management Transformation Program (IMTP). This program recognizes the ABS needs to manage its information as a corporate asset, and that information becomes more valuable the more it is used and shared. IMTP has a number of goals, including a client environment where statistics are readily available and can be integrated easily with data from other sources; a statistical production environment that is both flexible and efficient; and a systems environment that is built around standard models and supports shared collaborative developments internationally.

The paper discusses ABS experiences and learnings from operationalizing our metadata frameworks across the statistical cycle, in the context of IMTP and our international collaboration efforts more generally. It also briefly outlines ABS issues and plans for the future.