Resource of the Week -- OECD Data Sets
by Stuart Basefsky, Contributing Editor
Editor's Note:
From time to time, readers of ResourceShelf.com and Docuticker.com see postings about NEW DATA SETS available for FREE from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. These are often discovered by Stuart Basefsky, producer and editor of the IWS Documented News Service, who is also a contributing editor to the two FreePint products mentioned above. We asked Stuart to tell you about this resource collection.
These data sets are exciting information products now available in the public domain, without requiring a subscription to SourceOECD. They are being added to a single online platform which enables one to search for and extract data from across OECD’s many databases for the first time. This platform is called OECD.Stat.
Currently more than 285 data sets can be extracted from this product. The beauty of the platform is that each individual data set has its own link. Consequently, each data set can be cited separately. For example, readers were recently notified about:
Rather than sending people to a general and sometimes confusing aggregation of data sets, their specific need can be met with one URL. In addition, OECD.Stat offers three key features:
Discovery: Search for complex statistical data across OECD databases with one click access to the datasets themselves from the search results.
Mix and Merge: Extract data from across all databases in one enquiry. New functions enable users to gather and assemble data from various datasets in unique and customizable tables.
Metadata: Improved metadata down to the level of each datapoint means that users can understand the origins of each number and the overall context, aiding comprehension.
In an attempt to make statistics easier to find, by more people, the Statistics Dissemination Project of OECD is creating services with the following unique features:
A searchable index - of over 285 data sets.
A citation tool – to enable one to cite accurately and cut/paste into commonly used tools, such as EndNotes and RefWorks.
Selective download – the ability to choose variables of interest and download the data directly to your PC for analysis using any database, spreadsheet or statistical package.
Context and comprehension – the ability to drill down into the detailed statistical metadata.
Alerts – to notify you of database updates.
Links between data and analytical material – the ability to discover and navigate seamlessly between analytical outputs and related statistics.
Explore data - by theme or by subject and use keyword searches to find relevant datasets.
Single platform – having all of the data in one place will offer new opportunities for improving data comparability.
To discover on your own the numerous data sets available, simple browse the themes in the left margin under the following headings: General Statistics, Agriculture and Fisheries, Demography and Population, Development, Economic Projections, Education and Training, Finance, Globalisation, Health, Industry and Services, International Trade and Balance of Payments, Labour, Monthly Economic Indicators, National Accounts, Prices and Purchasing Power Parities, Productivity, Public Sector, Taxation and Market Regulation, Regional Statistics, Science/Technology/Patents, Social and Welfare Statistics, Non-member Economies.
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